


In the shadow of the wood

by Anonymous_Kraken



Series: In the Shadow of the Woods [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2019-10-14 21:45:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 33,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17516411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Kraken/pseuds/Anonymous_Kraken
Summary: Emily is a struggling artist trying to find a muse in a town where nothing ever happens. Everyone stays the same and everyone stays away from the wood. But the stories about it are superstitions! Or so Emily thought- But a chance encounter with a bubbly brunette will introduce her to a world she never believed could exist.





	1. The painter

Another swipe of the paintbrush and it was...almost...done. Emily stepped back from her canvas, hazel eyes surveying the last few days of work. Another painting of the lake behind her house. Sure, it was pretty- But Emily wondered how many times one person could really paint the same lake. Or the same three people. And sure, she painted things from her imagination...But there was something about putting one's own twist on something before their eyes that appealed to the young woman. With a sigh, Emily set her brush into the shit colored water and placed her palette on her work bench. She would have to properly clean those later, but for now she needed something to eat! The redhead exited the garage, where her parents allowed her to do her painting, and into the main body of the house- namely the kitchen. "How did it turn out, Emily?" Her mother asked, perched at the breakfast nook, coffee in her well manicured hands. "Eh. It's alright. Just the lake again. I really need to find something new to paint." Emily grumbled, a pout on her face as she prepared a bowl of cereal. "You'll figure it out, Emenem. Ye always do." Her father cut in, smile on his face broad as always. "Thanks da!" The readhead perked up at his encouragement, standing on her tip toes to kiss his scruffy cheek. 

 

"Just try going somewhere new, maybe? There's the park downtown...have ye tried there?" Her father, Conner, asked, sitting down next to her mother. "Mh. A few times." Emily answered between bites of cereal. "Not many people willing to be painted." She lamented. "Well, whatever you do...don't you wander into that forest. There is nothing good in there." That was always her mother's advice. Emily didn't even know if what Aisling said was true...She never disobeyed her mother enough to find out. 

But the forest next to their little town was massive and ancient. Local legends told tales of witches, werewolves, and vampires. Emily believed it to be malarkey- but still...it sure would be neat if it were true. Emily mostly stayed out of the woods to soothe her mother's mind. While she was not superstitious, her mother was. At times she would catch her mother staring at the entrance to the woods, a single word escaping her. "Moira." 

Emily had long struggled to learn who this Moira was. When she asked her mother about it, she would get agitated and say Emily was just hearing things. Moira wasn't anybody. Moira didn't exist. Emily learned to drop it after years of the same answers. Still, she was ever curious about the woods everyone seemed to be so scared of. Shaking it off, Emily finished her cereal and dropped her bowl in the sink. "I'm going to the park again. See you both later!" 

And so, Emily found herself back in the local park, sketch pad in hand and hazel eyes searching for something, anything that sparked inspiration. There were the usual suspects of parks- kids playing, mother's and fathers watching and or gossiping, people doing yoga, buskers, food benders, joggers. Pretty standard. The whole town, aside from the mysterious woods, was just the same. A standard, boring town filled with nice enough people- But it grew to be stale, especially for a person like Emily. She huffed, resting her head on her hands. About to throw in the towel and just go find a new angle to paint the lake from, when something...well, someone, caught her eyes. It was a young woman she had never seen before- and she was sure everyone in this town knew each other- but this woman? She was new. Emily was sure she had to be. The woman was wearing bright orange sneakers, dark cuttoff shorts, a white crop top with a brown bomber jacket hanging from slim shoulders. There was a bright blue, glowing? It was probably just the light- but a pendant hanging from her neck. She wore circular orange sunglasses and her brown hair stuck up every which way. The first new person Emily had seen in a very long time. She had to act. Quickly. 

Removing herself from her spot on the bench, Emily gripped her sketchbook as she ran to stop the woman from leaving. "Hi! Sorry-" She sputtered, out of breath. "I just- I saw you from across the park and I hadn't seen you before and I just wanted to know of i could sketch you because you're new and interesting unlike everything else in this town an-" Emily cut herself off when she saw the expression on the other woman's face. Her own cheeks went pink. "I...i mean....Hi. I'm Emily-" she stuck out her hand, as if she hadn't already made a fool out of herself. To her surprise, the woman took her hand, a giggle almost like bells escaping her. "Nice to meet you! I'm Lena!" The woman- Lena grinned good naturdly. "And sure, you can sketch me if you'd like!" 

Emily was in shock- Not did the new woman take her embarrassing introduction in stride, but she also agreed to model! "Oh! Thank you so much!" Emily could hardly contain her excitement. "I'll, uh, treat you to a bite after....I mean, if you want-" Lena's grin was still present and Emily noticed it was kind of lopsided- but in the most charming way possible. "Sounds perfect! How could I say no to having a bite to eat with a pretty bird like you? I'd have to be right daft." Was...Was Lena flirting with her? Was that flirting???? Emily flushed, flattered. Lena certainly was an attractive woman- though thin, she appeared to be in good shape. Her legs showed signs of athleticism and her easy going, charming nature was a positive in Emily's book. "Erm! So, uh, where'd you like to go to get sketched? I can do it pretty much anywhere." The redhead smiled, still rather nervous. Lena didn't seem bothered by it. "Where ever works, love. I can stand or sit or cartwheel- whatever you need!" Emily giggled at the last suggestion. "It may be a bit hard to draw a cartwheel but I do appreciate the offer." 

In the end, they decided to stay at the park and Emily got some great sketches of Lena is various poses, her work reinvigorated by the presence of someone new. "Thank you so much, Lena! You have no idea how helpful you've been to me!" Emily gushed, showing off the sketches to her model. The brunette flashed that same lopsided grin. "My pleasure love! You've got a real talent! Unfortunately I've got to go- took a bit longer than i was expecting...." Emily flushed, hanging her head. "I'm so sorry! I just-" Lena waved it off. "Don't worry love! Here...let me give you my number. You can treat me some other time." The brunette placed a card in Emily's hand and let her fingers linger against the other woman's for just a moment. "Call me!" 

"I will!" Emily grinned, waving at Lena's retreating form. But wait...! Where was she going? The only thing in that direction was the wood. The same wood no one ever went into. Just what was Lena doing there? What could such a cheerful person have to hide?


	2. Cruelty of men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that has a little bit of violence in it. Nothing terribly graphic, but I do want to warn everyone about it c:

After parting with the pretty redhead, Lena ran back to the woods, spring in her step from a pleasant afternoon. She ran through the forest, expertly avoiding rocks and roots, waving to those she passed by. Night was approaching, vampires and werewolves would come out soon. If she weren't so tired, Lena would stay out to greet them as well, but it just wasn't in the cards for that night. 

As the sun set on the wood, Lena arrived back at the cottage she shared with the witch of the wilds- despite the title, Angela was quite nice and very open to helping people. Well- not humans. Humans had brought Angela nothing but pain. Still, she welcomed Lena with open arms, giving her a place to call home when she had nothing. "Angie! I'm home!" The Brit announced, as of Angela couldn't hear her bell like giggles coming towards the cottage. "Ah, Lena. Welcome home." The witch smiled up at her from her place on the couch. "Dinner will be ready soon." Lena grinned, removing her sneakers before settling on the couch next to Angela. "Perfect! I'm starving!" The witch chuckled softly, snapping her fingers so the stew would stir itself. "You smell of human....were you in town again?" Angela asked, concern on her features. Lena nodded. "Sure was. Met a lovely girl named Emily! Oh don't give me that look, Angie! She was harmless! All she wanted to do was draw me. And besides, I look just as human as any of them. As do you, I might add." 

Angela fake gagged at that. "Rude." She grumbled, snapping again for the stove to turn off. "Just for that you can fetch your own stew." Lena giggled, the same bell like sound as always, before disappearing from the couch in a flash of blue light. "Oh noooo whatever will I do?" She asked as she reappeared next to the stove. Angela rolled her eyes before her expression became grim again. "All joking aside...humans can be very cruel. I don't want you getting hurt. Please, be careful. For me?" Lena gave the witch a nod, her cheerful nature subdued. "I will, Angie. I promise." 

 

The rest of the night passed without incident. Well- Until sunrise hit the trees and a scream echoed through the forest. Lena's eyes snapped open and she rushed out the door in a blink of blue light. She arrived on the scene within moments to find someone tied to a tree. That was worrying to say the least... but the more worrying thing was that the person's arm was on fire. Vampire. Lena rushed to untie the woman, scrambling to get it done fast enough. By the time she was done, Angela had arrived. A few others were close by but the witch waved them off. She recognized this Vampire and knew that she did not like to be crowded around. "Lena...Can you carry her? You're far faster than I am." Angela asked, her voice calm- But Lena could tell there was concern and...something else in the undertones. "Yeah. I'll get her to the cottage fast as I can! "

That turned out to be very fast indeed, and Lena was able to get the vampire into the cottage and shut all the blinds, darkening the room she had placed the poor woman into. Angela arrived moments later, immediately working her healing magic. "Satya....Satya? It's me, Angela..." The woman, Satya, finally opened her eyes- her golden gaze in such pain it almost made Lena ill. Well no, what was making Lena ill was the smouldering ash that used to be Satya's arm. "Angela...can you fix it?" Satya managed to rasp out, eyes desperately searching Angela's for a hint of good news. Unfortunately, the witch sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Satya. We didn't get it in time. You burned so quickly- the bone is gone. If the bone was still there, I could restore everything else...Dont worry. I'll speak with the dwarves to forge you a new arm."

The Vampire bit back tears and gave a weak nod. "I see. Thank you, Angela...." Angela gently caressed Satya's dark hair. "Of course. You rest now...I will make sure you have something to drink when you wake up." Before leaving, Angela cast a few spells to ensure no sunlight penetrated the room so that Satya could rest peacefully. She was silent as she and Lena walked to the elves' forge until Lena broke the silence. "Who could have done such a horrible thing?" The witch didn't speak for a few moments before finally opening her mouth. "Humans." There was a dark look in her not normally bright blue eyes. "But...! The humans around here don't even believe we exist! We're all just superstitions to them!" Angela turned on her heel to glare at Lena. "How can You be so naive?!" That shut Lena right up- Angela had never snapped at her like that. "If one human saw Satya feeding- all they would have to do is raise a panic! It's the mob mentality that wiped out most of us to begin with! Especially vampires and witches!" The brunette hung her head, shame overcoming her. "I'm sorry, love. I shouldn't...I shouldn't defend them after all they've done to us. I'm so sorry." She spoke quietly, brown eyes raising to meet Angela's blues. The witch's expression softened and she placed a hand on Lena's freckled cheek. "You're a sweet girl, Lena. But you have to realize, given your nature, that you are in far less danger than the rest of us. I admire your kindness...But it's more than they deserve." With that, Angela walked on ahead, leaving Lena with a festering sadness in her gut. 

Angela arrived at the forge with a heavy heart and a troubled mind. Torbjorn, a long time friend, found her at his doorstep looking a mixture of anger and guilt. "...What is it this time, lass? Reinhardt get his other eye hacked out?" The dwarve joked, trying to make the witch smile. It kind of worked..for a moment. "No...Humans attacked one of the vampires. They tied her up so the sun would burn her limbs off one by one....Thank the gods Lena found her before that happened." Angela removed her hat, running a frustrated hand through her blonde hair. "But we didn't make it in time to save her arm. I need you to forge her a new one." Torbjorn grunted, stoking his long beard. "Bah. These no good humans!" He growled, cursing under his breath. "I know..." The witch sighed, shoulders slumping. "Anyway- please make it slender and pretty? Satya is someone who cares very much for her appearance." The dwarf gave Angela a strange look. "But...She can't even see herself." 

Angela shot a glare down at Torbjorn. "If you can't do what i ask, I'll ask Brigette to do it instead." That struck a nerve- Torbjorn was proud of his half elf daughter, but unwilling to admit her skills could one day surpass his. "Brigette?! No! I can do it! Give me some time and I'll forge the finest arm I ever have. Er, besides my own, of course." The dwarf laughed, gesturing with his claw like prosthetic. Even in her mood, that elicited a chuckle from Angela. "Of course, of course." 

On her way out she looked back towards the dwarve with a small smirk on her features. "You have until nightfall."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has taken an interest in this fic so far!


	3. And the other one...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the attack on Satya

The job was done expertly, as always. And Angela left the forge with a sleek arm, white with golden accents, and some jogger who decided the wood was a nice place to go for a run. The human was knocked out- They would make an easy meal for Satya. Just as Angela arrived to her cottage, a bat flew down from out of nowhere, shifting shapes midway. The witch immediately recognized the woman who stood up from purple dust- Her black hair and piercing yellow eyes were a dead (hee hee) giveaway. Also the fact that there were only two vampires in the whole forest. "Amélie." Angela gave the woman a small smile- Amélie did not smile back. 

"How is she?" The vampire demanded, Angela sighed harshly in response to such impatience. "I'm not sure if she's awake. I had the dwarf, Torbjorn, forge her a new arm and I have a human here she can feed on. Calm down before you see her. You know your energy will be a lot for her right now." Amélie looked about ready to bite Angela's head off, but the witch was right, of course. The Vampire took a few deep breaths, her yellow eyes closed. After a few moments, they opened again and fell to the witch. "Alright....May I see her now?" Angela nodded, leading the taller woman inside. "Is our guest awake yet, Lena?" The blonde greeted Lena with a tired smile. "She's been in out of sleep. I think she's awake right now. I don't speak Hindi- but I don't think she had a lot of good things to say." The brunette bit her lip before spotting Amélie, who she promptly waved to. Amélie regarded her with a nod. 

"This way then. " Angela snapped her fingers and the unconcious human floated into the cottage and the door was shut behind them. "Satya?" The blonde gently rapped on the old wood separating the vampire's room from the rest of the cottage. "You may enter." Amélie rushed into the room before Angela could even touch the door. "Satya....!" Satya's golden eyes filled with tears as her fellow Vampire wrapped her arms around her shaking frame. "Amélie....! Forgive me...i was careless. I let myself get seen..I-" Amélie shook her head. "Nonsense Satya. None of this is your fault. Humans are vicious..." Angela cleared her throat, disrupting the moment. "The dwarves have forged you a new arm. And.." Another snap of her fingers and the human was floated into the room. "I brought you a meal." 

Satya's eyes went wide at the sight of the human, hunger evident in her golden gaze. "Thank you,  Angela. I am in your debt." Angela shook her head, lowering the human so Satya could feed. "Think nothing of it. We witches and you vampires...our numbers have suffered the most at the hands of the humans. We must look out for each other." The Vampire just gave a nod before sinking her elongated canines into the human. Some color returned to her normally dark skin and she certainly looked far better than that morning. Angela and Amélie stood in silence as Satya satiated her thirst. When she was done, Angela healed the human's neck wound, also making sure they still were alive. "He'll need a transfusion, but he will live." The witch shrugged. "I'll bring him to a hospital soon. For now...Torbjorn says that attaching a prosthetic is not pleasant. You'll have to bear with me, Satya." The dark haired woman nodded, holding out what remained for Angela to attach the arm to. 

As the magic in the prosthetic adjusted itself to the remaining sinew and bone in Satya's arm, she cried out in pain, the nails in her remaining organic hand digging into Amélie's arm. "You're doing great, Satya...Just a few more moments." Angela's voice was soft and she stroked Satya's dark hair with such care. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity (but was really only five minutes), the arm was attached. Satya flexed the fingers a few times, seemingly satisfied with the result. "I will have to thank Torbjorn next time I see him. This is beautiful work." She hummed, admiring the gold details. Angela nodded, helping Satya out of the bed. "He's a grumpy old man but does do amazing things. Have a good night you two. Be careful getting home." Amélie nodded, a dangerous look in her yellow eyes. "Don't concern yourself further, Angela. I have Satya from here." 

Satya regarded Amélie with confusion. "We are here in the neighborhood. Don't you want to see Olivia?" The other Vampire shrugged. "Normally yes. But given the circumstances, mon petite ombré will understand why I didn't come to see her." Satya nodded slowly, allowing Amélie to scoop her into her arms and carry her out into the night. Lena and Angela waved from the cottage as the two vampires vanished into the dark wood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has left kudos and comments on this so far! It's very encouraging! ❤❤❤


	4. Dial tone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily gets fed up....

Number not in service.  
Number not in service.   
We're sorry, the phone number you are trying to reach is no longer in service. 

Emily was certain she could become the person who recorded these messages as she heard them so many times trying to contact Lena after their meeting. Did Lena give her the wrong number on purpose? She didn't seem like the type, but they had only met once. But, God, what a meeting it was. The redhead groaned from her position on the couch, dropping her arms and letting her phone rest like a compress on her forehead. 

"Are you alright Emily?" The sound of her mother's voice prompted Emily to open one hazel eye to look at the other woman. "Just peachy ma...Lena won't return my calls and the sole interesting art model in this town has vanished into thin air." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Perhaps it's for the best. If you saw her going into the woods...Shes likely a fool or a bad egg." 

This made Emily sit up, her phone falling from her forehead to the floor with a clatter. Though she winced, she didn't move to pick it up. Instead, Emily shot her mother a withering look. "Come on ma! You have never even met her...How could you make such judgements based on??? On what? The fact she went into the woods? Yeah, makes a lot of sense! Those are just trees, ma." 

"I don't like your tone, Emily. Those woods are filled with dangerous creatures." Aisling stated matter-of-factly. "Dangerous creatures? Really, ma? Like what?" Emily asked, increasingly tired of this whole song and dance with her mother. "Werewolves Emily! Vampires! Witches!" Came the opposing response. Emily threw up her arms. "Those things don't exist! Yeah, I've heard the wolves too, but that doesn't mean they're werewolves! It just means that wolves live in the wood! I'm pretty sure that's the habitat wolves usually reside in." Mother and daughter glared at each other, neither side willing to back down. "You are forbidden to enter those woods. Do you understand me, Emily? I won't allow it!" Aisling put her foot down, thinking she had the last word. 

However, she underestimated her daughter's stubborn nature. Emily stood from the couch, whisking her phone off the ground in the process. "I'm an adult, ma. You can't forbid me from doing anything!" She shot back, walking towards the door. "And I'm not gonna let /your/ irrational fear keep me from living /my/ life!" The redhead grabbed her backpack from the hook in the hallway- and before her mother could say anything else, she was gone.Emily cursed under her breath the whole fifteen minutes it took her to get to the "main" entrance to the wood. The redhead gripped the straps of her backpack and stared into the ancient stretch of trees. And for the first time in her life? She stepped into the maze of gnarled branches and ghost stories, diving headfirst into the unknown. 

The walk was nothing. It was a nice day, birds chirrped from treetops, a breeze blew through the leaves, the canopy provided a remarkable reprieve from the sun's harsh rays- Emily began to wonder why she had waited so long to disobey her mother. She walked for a while, stopping to sketch many unusual plants she saw on the path, also stopping to rest on a fallen tree, catching her breath and partaking in one of the granola bars she kept in her backpack. 

Foraging ahead, Emily walked for another half hour before she heard the sound of rushing water. Just a few feet away was a stream with the clearest water the redhead had ever seen. "Wow..." She grinned, dropping to her knees on front of the stream and tentivily raising handfuls of water to her parched mouth. It was delicious- fresh and cold! It provided some much needed relief from both thirst and the heat from the midday sun. Emily stayed there a few moments, completely relaxed. And when she dropped her guard? She heard something behind her. Something that sounded a lot like a growl. 

Very slowly, Emily turned to face the source of the noise... And there, crouched down, teeth bared and almost certainly ready to attack, was a wolf. A pure white wolf with red eyes. If she weren't so absolutely terrified, Emily would have loved to draw the canine. Buuuut- It really seemed like the wolf was going to pounce. The redhead's eyes filled with tears of panic and she began wishing she hadn't fought with her mother. That at least, she could have said she loved her! The wolf moved and Emily shut her eyes tight, raising her arms in front of her face, preparing for the worst. When all of a sudden- deus ex machina must have kicked in.

"Oi! Angie has been waiting for you! What are you doing here?" A female voice- cheerful...british. Emily opened her terrified eyes to see "Lena!" She gasped, scrambling off the ground and throwing her arms around the brunette. Lena, to her credit, was only a little surprised by Emily's hug. "There, there...No one is gonna hurt you, love." She gently rubbed Emily's back to comfort the shaking woman. "Go on, Ashe. I've got this under control." Lena seemed to be talking to the wolf, which was utterly perplexing to the redhead in her arms. 

The white wolf made a sort of huffing noise, as if to protest, but brushed past the two regardless, bounding away into the wood. Emily was stunned. She hardly even noticed Lena checking her for injury. "I...What? What just happened? That wolf...it was gonna kill me for sure! But you stopped it with hardly any effort!" Hazel eyes met wide brown. Lena grinned, trying to defuse the situation with her charm. Emily wasn't having it. "Out with it, Lena! What's goi-" Lena gently placed a hand in front of Emily's mouth and simply pointed at the fact that the wolf had returned. And this time it wasn't alone. 

By the side of the white wolf stood a woman. She had blonde hair twisted into a ponytail and blue eyes that were glaring right at Lena. "Lena...Care to explain this to me?" The blonde demanded. And Emily felt Lena wince from beside her. "I stopped Ashe from mauling a defensless person."  
"A human."  
Lena groaned, her hand still over Emily's mouth. "A human, yes. But still defenseless! She's an artist, Angie. The one I told you about?" This 'Angie' looked less than impressed. 

"How fittingly underwhelming." She replied cooly, giving Emily a once over. This made the redhead blush with embarrassment, as if she should care what the blonde thought.  "Regardless of who she is, Lena, she does not belong here."


	5. Guess who's coming to dinner

The four stood, all glaring at each other. Well, it was more like Lena glaring defiantly at Angela and the wolf glaring distrustfully at Emily. "Angela..." The brunette started, the look in her wide eyes softening. "Give her a chance, please? I know you've been hurt...And I know so many other have felt the effects of ignorance and cruelty." She started, moving to grip the blonde's hand. "But I, more than anyone, know you can't live in the past. We must keep moving! Or else we will never heal." Angela seemed to soften as well, giving Lena's hand a little squeeze. "I...I want everyone to stop living in fear. Perhaps..." Angela shook her head. "No! I'm sorry, Lena. But I will not allow it! After what just happened to Satya? And you want to invite a human to walk among us?! My answer is no!" Lena dropped Angela's hand, a look appearing in her brown eyes that the witch hadn't seen before. Disappointment. Disappointment in Angela...It was hard to take, but the witch stood her ground. 

"L...Lena. I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't want to cause a fight between you and your friend." Emily placed a hand on the Brit's slim shoulder. "I need to go home anyway. I'm sure my family is worried sick." This made Lena break her gaze toward Angela and turn to give Emily a sad smile. "Sure. I'll walk you home...c'mon love." The redhead gathered up her things and gave a timid wave to Angela and the wolf- what had Lena called it? As...ash? Something like that, right? "It was...lovely to meet you two. Thank you for not mauling me." That was more directed at the wolf anyway- With that, Lena led her away from the pair and out of the wood. 

The brunette was quiet pretty much the whole walk- Emily didn't like it. She enjoyed Lena's usually cheerful disposition and bell like laughter. It felt...wrong for her to be so silent. "I tried calling you. Said the number was no longer in service." Emily informed her companion. Lena looked surprised. "Did it? I'm sorry! I must have given you the wrong number. Can I see the card?" The redhead nodded, producing it from her backpack. Lena squinted at it in the light of the setting sun. "....Yeah. That's an old one. My bad!" She winced, giving Emily a small smile to apologize. Emily waved it off. "Here. Give me your phone and I'll text myself with it." She suggested. Lena agreed, handing Emily her phone- the case was bright orange with a black crisscross pattern down the back- It felt appropriate for the cheerful Brit. After sending herself a text from Lena's, she handed it back to the owner. "Now we'll have each others numbers." The redhead smiled to the other, who beamed in response. 

They fell into a comfortable silence afterwards, not the tense silence of before. Though, Emily was dying to ask Lena some questions. That woman, Angela, had referred to Emily as if they weren't the same species. Lena did the same in her presence. Did that mean all the stories were true? And if they were, what did that make Lena? But she didn't dare pry....Not for now, at least. Besides, they had arrived where Aisling was outside waiting. "Emily!" Her mother cried, rushing to bring her daughter into her arms. "Mom!" Emily hugged her mother back, relief filling her up. "I'm so sorry- I shouldn't have fought with you like that..." She whimpered, hiding her head in the crook of Aisling's neck. "It's alright, my darling. In my haste to protect you I forgot you are a grown woman, and you're capable of making your own choices. Your own mistakes." 

Lena stood aside a bit awkwardly- but she was touched by the scene of mother and daughter. "Oh!" Emily seemed to remember she was there because she pulled away from her mother to gesture at the brunette. "This is Lena! She helped me home after I got a bit turned around in the wood." Aisling held out her hand to Lena, who took it with her charming, lopsided grin. "Hello Lena, thank you for bringing my Emily back safe." The brunette shook her head. "No need to thank me! It was my pleasure!" She assured the other woman. "We're going to eat soon... Why don't you join us, Lena? It's the least we can do." Ailing offered, smiling that smile that made Emily know she wasn't going to accept no as an answer. The brunette seemed a bit apprehensive. "I wouldn't want to intrude..." She started, but Aisling took her hand and started leading her inside. "Nonesense! It's no trouble at all!" The woman was very insistent, so Lena let it happen and ended up being shown to a seat. Although a bit flustered, the Brit seemed to take it all in stride. 

"Ah! Emily! Just in time!" Her dad grinned, gesturing so he could give her a kiss on the cheek, his beard tickling her cheek as he pressed his lips to it. "Who's your friend?" He asked, looking at Lena. "Oh, this is Lena." The brunette stuck her hand out to the man. "Nice to meet you sir." He took it with a smile. "Conner O'Mally! Welcome to our humble home! Please, make yourself comfortable." Lena gave a nod to the man, settling in the seat across from Emily. Aisling served them all grilled chicken, garlic pasta, and a small green salad. "Not terribly exciting, but there is plenty!" She smiled at Lena, unsure of how the Brit would react. Lena just smiled big, shaking her head. "This looks lovely! Thank you!" 

And so they began to eat, small conversations happening around the table. To Aisling's credit she waited a full ten minutes before the dreaded request was posed. "So, Lena, tell us about yourself." Emily cringed, giving a look to Lena so the brunette knew she didn't have to answer. But again, Lena took it in stride. "Oh there isn't much to know! Grew up in London, went to uni, was in the army for a bit. Moved here and I live with my friend and her girlfriend." Emily could swear Aisling looking relieved. As far as she could tell Lena was a normal girl! "The army?" Conner inquired, that bit catching his interest. "How old are you ,if you don't mind me asking?" 

"I don't mind at all! I'm twenty-six. Served about four years. Got sent home for an injury." Lena replied, shrugging as if her injury couldn’t possibly matter to her. “What branch?” Aisling chimed in, the brunette didn’t miss a beat while answering. “Airforce.” Emily watched both her parents impressed faces with a smile- She knew Lena was far too charming to be disliked. The four fell into easy conversation until the table was cleared, only then did Lena notice the time. “Oh! I can’t believe it’s so late. I really should be getting home.” She looked nervous and Emily wondered how Angela might react to her being around ‘humans’ for so long. “Oh no dear!” Aisling exclaimed. “It’s far too late for a young woman to be out by herself! Please, I insist you stay the night.” The brunette looked like a deer in headlights. “I can’t impose on you anymore!” She argued, obviously uncomfortable with the idea. Aisling was having none of it. “It’s not an imposition! We’ll set you up with Emily.” 

Emily, who had been a little spaced out for the conversation, snapped back to reality in time to catch a small blush on Lena’s cheeks at the phrase “We’ll set you up with Emily.” Again, the brunette was defeated by Aisling’s stubborn hospitality- And she eventually gave in while Aisling gathered up some extra pillows. Emily laughed a bit at Lena’s exasperated expression before gently taking her hand and heading her to get some clothes to sleep in. “Don’t mind mum. She’s always like that! But it is real late...Maybe you should text Angela so she knows you aren’t dead?” The brunette snorted at the mention of Angela. “Yeaaaah, probably.” Though not entirely thrilled by the idea, Lena did shoot a quick message to Angela informing her of this status. 

 

Text to Angie:   
“Got held up having dinner. Staying with Emily for the night.”

Text from Angie:  
“Are you okay?! I’ve been worried sick!”

Text to Angie:  
“I’m just fine. These people aren’t dangerous. See you tomorrow.”

Lena shut off her phone after that, not wanting to talk to Angela- She was still a bit miffed at her closed minded friend. “I’m gonna switch off the lights, okay?” Emily asked with a smile once they had settled into bed. “Yeah, works for me! Night Emily!”

“Goodnight Lena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! This is later than I wanted to get this up! But I may post again either tomorrow or Tuesday as I'm really busy afterwards and want to keep up momentum.


	6. A small update

Hey everyone, thank you so much for your interest in "In the shadow of the wood" it means so much to me. Unfortunately I'm going though a rough patch right now and my depression has stifled my creativity. I try to write but nothing comes out...However, please don't worry, i have no intention of abandoning this fic. It just might take me a bit to release the next chapter- Because not only is my mental state not the greatest at the moment, but I also have school and work to worry about. But this fic will return, i promise. And, in the meanwhile, look out for one shots for this universe I have plans to release. Like- little details about the characters that don't quite fit into the main story.

Thank you for your support and patience, it means the world to me. This fic is not over, simply on a brief hiatus. Thank you for understanding.


	7. As you wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Emily have a much needed discussion

In the still of night, even after a long day, Emily O’Mally was wide awake. Hazel eyes fixed on the long since faded stars her father had stuck to her ceiling when she was little. Her gaze drifted to the figure next to her- Lena. She had so many questions for the brunette! They were burning inside her, aching to come out- But she didn't want to wake the other woman. Ughhh, inner turmoil. “Emily…?” She almost missed the whisper, but sure enough there was Lena- Her brown eyes open and very much awake. “Oh…! I didn’t wake you, did I?” Emily asked, concern in her hushed tone. “No, no...Don’t worry, love. Couldn't sleep.” Lena gave the other a small smile. “Yeah, me neither.” Emily sighed, returning the little smile. The two kept looking at each other, silence descending once again. Until Emily just couldn't take it anymore. “You're...not human?” She asked, full of apprehension. The brunette looked taken back for a moment and for that moment Emily feared she had messed everything up by assuming something. 

“No, love, I'm not human.” Came the eventual answer, a but quieter than Lena had been speaking before. The redhead gulped, but knew she could trust the woman- after all, she had saved her from that wolf earlier...She could have just let it maul her. Besides….Emily's personal feelings for the Brit could have had some bearing on her choice to trust her. “Then, uh, what...what are you?” She asked, though she felt weird that she had asked it at all. Lena looked thoughtful for a moment, but ultimately shook her head. “Sorry...I don't really tell anyone. It's nothing against anyone, least of all you, but I…” she paused, biting her lip, eyes downcast. “Honestly it...scares me. I can do so many things that other people can't do….I've lived for so long, Emily. And show no signs of slowing down.” Lena finished with a long sigh, the weight of countless lifetimes weighing on her shoulders. Emily didn't like the worn expression on the woman's face. Not a bit. “You're not scary…” she whispered, gently placing her hand on Lena's cheek. “I think you're wonderful.” Lena didn’t say anything….She just placed her hand ontop of Emily’s and took in a long, shaking breath. They stayed like that, looking at one another, their fingers eventually interlacing. “....You don’t know anything about me, Emily…” Lena finally broke the silence, heartache clear in her voice. “So what? Tell me and I will…It’s not like you know much about me.” Emily countered, silencing Lena. The Brit wasn't quiet for long, however, as she seemed to have convinced herself that this was an okay course of action. 

“Alright then, I'll go first I guess...All I feel comfortable saying is that I'm real old and have mysterious magic. I was a pilot a couple of times, disguised myself as a man now and then-” they both laughed a bit at that. “Lived in Britain most of my life, then when London came round I hardly ever left. It was just me so I had a nice sized flat in the city. Don't know why London was always home- Well, now the woods are my home.” Lena smiled fondly, thinking of the cabin her and Angela shared. “What made you move?” Emily asked during the pause in Lena's line of thought. “Mn? Oh...It was really lonely, y'know? I would have some friends but they came in and out of my life. Plus I couldn't really be myself round them. I met Angie when she was visiting London- She told me about a safe place where people like me could just...be. So, I packed up my life and moved in with her.” Lena's smile told of her current feelings towards the blonde witch- it was between the two of them, but Emily would hate to come between two friends. Especially since they lived together. “What about you, Em? What's your story?” The sudden question disrupted the worrisome train of thoughts before Emily could spiral. “We'll, there isn't much of a story.” The redhead began, warning Lena of the potential boredom she might feel- The brunette just seemed to listen closely, a smile on her face. It was encouraging. 

“I was born in Ireland and lived there for the first few years of my life. My da was taking care of my grandma while I was a kid- But she died and he decided to sell her house, too many memories, y'know?” Lena nodded slowly. She knew all too well. “So, we moved to this town where nothing ever happens.” Emily continued with a shrug. “We've been living in the same house. I teach art at the same high school I attended. Just a normal, boring life. Well, normal and boring until I met you.” She finished, grinning at Lena, who grinned right back. “Until you met me.” The two women just looked at each other for a whole, appreciating every little freckle, every detail, even within the embrace of darkness. It was Lena who broke the silence. “What's your favorite color? Favorite sweet? Favorite time of year?” She asked, excited to learn more about Emily. “Oh, uh...Dark green, Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream, and Autumn.” The redhead answered with a little giggle. “What about you?” 

Lena pursed her lips, feigning being deep in thought. “Orange, lemon poppyseed cake, Summer. When's your birthday? What's your favorite holiday? Favorite movie?” Came the next round of questions. “Okay- February 28. Uhh, Halloween. Ooh, Sound of Music.” 

“Ah! I love Julie Andrews…! She's just lovely.” Lena sighed dreamily. Emily laughed a bit at that. “Okay, what about you, hm?” The Brit appeared to stop thinking of the lovely and legendary Julie Andrews for a moment to answer. “April 18. Christmas. The Princess Bride.” Emily grinned- it was so cute that Lena's favorite movie was such a classic romance. “See? Is it so hard to get to know each other?” She questioned, a smug look on her face. Lena giggled, like little bells chiming in the wind. “No, I suppose it wasn't so hard.” She inched closer to the redhead and her hand found Emily's in the dark. “One last question...Are you sure you want to do this? We don't have a future...You're human, and I…” Lena trailed off but Emily just placed the pointer finger of her free hand on the other woman's lips. “So let us enjoy what time we do have. Without expectation...Would that be terrible?” She asked, a small and hopeful smile on her face. Lena's look softened and she pressed a gentle kiss to Emily's hand.

“I think that could be wonderful…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back, back again? ITS ME.   
> I want to thank everyone for their patience and support during my hiatus. I'm going to try and pick back up with a regular posting schedule ! Thank you for sticking with me! Also please check out the first side story if you haven't yet! It's about how Ashe and Jesse made their way to the wood.


	8. Living in the past

They fell asleep at one point without realizing it. Only when the golden arrows of the sun pierced through Emily's curtains did they stir. Lena was first to rise, rubbing her eyes and sitting up before looking fondly at the woman next to her. "Good morning Em..." She spoke quietly as Emily slowly opened her eyes. "Mnnn...Mornin...." The redhead replied groggily. "I don't recall falling asleep." Lena giggled softly. "M'neither..." Came the mumbled reply. "It's Monday isn't it? Do you have school?" That made Emily bolt out of bed, eyes wide. "What time is it?!" She whisked her phone off the bedside table only to heave a sigh of relief. "It's six thirty. Thank God! I still have time to get to work!" 

"Oh good! I'll get out of your hair then!" Lena stepped off of the fluffy bed and onto the ground. "Oof- world is hard and cold." She muttered, grabbing her clothes from the chair she threw them on the night before. "Wish we could stay in bed..." Emily pouted, looking through her closet for something work appropriate. The brunette giggled quietly again, snaking her arms around Emily from behind. "Me too, love. But we can do this again- hopefully for longer, yeah?" The redhead turned around to press a quick peck to Lena's cheek. "Yeah!" They stayed looking into each others eyes for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a minute before Emily pulled away with a sigh. "Back to the real world for now, I guess." The pout returned and Lena laughed, loud and cheerful. "Real world? You insinuating I'm not real? I'm hurt!" She feigned offense. "Who knows? I could have fever dreamed this whole thing!" Emily managed to get out through her laughter. The two women were filled with giggles despite it being so early- They nearly missed Aisling calling to them. "Emily! You're going to be late!" Another snap back to reality. Lena gave a sheepish grin before scurrying off to the bathroom to change. After a fond look in the direction the Brit had gone in, Emily faced her closet once more. The school she taught at had a pretty strict dress code for teachers, but she taught art, so they were a little nore lenient on her. Still, no jeans except Friday. She settled on black pants, a dark, olive- green blouse, and long brown boots. She made quick work of her hair, just throwing it into a braid. That would have to be sufficient- She was running out of time. Lena had come back in the same clothes she was wearing the day before, but still managing to look fresh. "That color is lovely on you, Em." Lena commented, charming as ever. "Thanks! Mum always says earth tones look best with red hair. And while I prefer a more forest green, this isn't bad." Emily shrugged as she grabbed her purse. Lena just nodded, letting Emily lead the way downstairs and outside. "I'm really glad we got to talk, Lena." The redhead smiled shyly, squinting in the sunlight of early morning. "Me Too, love. Text me when you can, okay? Have a good day at work." Emily nodded, pressing her lips to Lena's cheek before climbing into her car. "Will do. Bye Lena!" The Brit waved her goodbye before running off in the direction of the wood. 

She arrived home in record time to find Angela sleeping on the couch, Ashe curled up beside her. The witch must have fallen asleep while worrying, Ashe must have joined her for support. Oh- Ashe was up. Those enhanced wolf senses must have alerted her to Lena's presence. "Mornin Ashe." The wolf just grunted in response. "Angie really likes the warmth of your fur, doesn't she?" Another grunt. Sounded affirmative. "Okay. Well, I'm gonna shower!" She knew she wouldn't wake Angela- That woman could sleep through anything. Also she knew Ashe wouldn't respond, she couldn't really in wolf form. Wolves can only communicate with wolves. And so Lena showered, she always started hot but then switched to cold- It felt so refreshing! By the time she was out and dressed, Angela was awake. Great. 

"Lena! I'm so glad to see you safe!" Lena would have normally given a gentle response...But Angela's behavior towards Emily and humanity at large was pretty terrible. "I was never in any danger, Angela. I'm sure if you thought about if for more than two seconds you would figure out Emily and her family were never going to hurt me." She responded with a huff, grabbing some bread for toast. "You're upset with me for being worried about you?" Angela asked, incredulous. Lena rolled her eyes. "If you have to ask than you've missed the point." She grumbled, deciding to forego the toast and just grab an apple- She truly didn't want to speak to Angela. And that was made very clear by hwr retreating to her room and shutting the door. 

"She never shuts the door." Angela was wide eyed, staring at the wood separating them. "Not even at night...She always leaves it slightly open." The witch was in such shock that she completely missed the crack of bones and grunts of limbs lengthening. She was only aware of it happening after the fact, when a hand was placed on her shoulder. Angela turned around to see Ashe, back looking totally human...Aside from her unusual hair and eye color, but she always told Angela she was born that way. "Angie. Let her be mad- It ain't something you see everyday." The werewolf gave a shrug, which was apparently a bad idea because she then started to rotate her shoulders, groaning softly. "That shift never gets easier." Another grumble, but Angela wasn't listening...She was too caught up in the events that transpired with Lena. "Angie. Angie! Angela!" That snapped the witch out of her face. "Welcome back to the world, darlin'. And as I was sayin..." Ashe wrapped her arms around Angela's waist from the back and rested her chin on the other woman's head. "You gotta let her come to you. I know you and that's what makes me know that nothin good will come out of you tryin to force things. Let her be." Angela pouted for a full five minutes before her shoulders slumped. "You're right..." She conceaded. "I hate it when people other than me are right..." Ashe rolled her eyes. "You can't just admit you're wrong, can you?" 

 

Hit the nail on the head with that one. 

 

And so, Angela took Ashes' advice. She gave Lena her space, she didn't push. But still, even after three days, Lena had hardly said a word to the witch. It was honestly like the sunshine had gone away. "Elizabeth your advice is terrible." Angela declared on the fourth day, causing Elizabeth, more commonly known as Ashe, to look up from her phone. "Come again?"   
"Your advice! I'm giving Lena all the space I can and she still won't talk to me!" Ashe rolled her eyes, setting her phone down. "Well, have ya tried apologizin? Or....I dunno, trying to see her point of view?" Angela squinted at her werewolf companion. "What are you implying?"   
"I'm just sayin...We know from overhearing things that Lena is now seeing that human, yeah?" Angela nodded, making a face. "So, she's upset her best friend doesn't like the girl she's dating. She's excited and she wants you to be excited for her. Also-" Ashe paused, her red gaze meeting Angela's blue. "She's a bit mad at your treatment of Emily the day we met her. She's tired of your prejudices." That made Angela snap. "So what if I'm prejudiced! Humans are violent, terrible creatures! They have done nothing but hurt people like us, Elizabeth!"

"People like you, Angela. I think you choose to forget that I used to be human." Ashe countered, making her way to the door. "You can't live in the past forever...Else you'll miss what's here." The door closed after her, leaving Angela alone in stunned silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ashe speaks! Finally have her in human form during this chapter >>. More characters will be introduced soon- These first ones are about establishing the connection between Lena and Emily- Also Angela's part in the formation of their relationship 
> 
> Once all that is settled, you can expect more magical nerds


	9. A woman called Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A much needed discussion takes place

Things with Lena were wonderful. She was like the sun after months of cloudy weather. Emily quite enjoyed the texts she would receive throughout the day, she would giggle and immediately save any picture Lena sent, she relished in the days the cheerful Brit would come to the school just to have lunch with her. Lena was hilarious and charming. Patient, in contrast to her go-getter nature. Kind and gentle. Full of life and indommitable. Emily was absolutely smitten with the brunette and would jump on any opportunity (within reason. We don't want to skip work kids!) to go see her. Which is something that would be exploited... 

[Text from Lena bean] 

Hey em, you free tomorrow? I thought we could have a picnic. 

When Emily received the text she giggled dreamily. Lena was such a romantic! Well...makes sense. As far as the redhead knew Lena was around to witness all sorts of trends in romance. 

[Text to Lena bean]  

That sounds amazing! Where should we have it? 

[Text from Lena bean]

How about at the park where this all began ;))) 

[Text to Lena bean] 

Sounds perfect!

After nailing down the rest of the details, Emily packed half the lunch, as was agreed, and went off to bed, wanting to be full of energy for her date. And so morning came, as it always does. Here we see Emily O'Mally rise and stretch before wandering to her closet for something to wear. She decided on a turquoise sundress before checking how the weather was going to be. Whoops! Cold front moving on in! She swapped out the sundress idea for an off white sweater dress, black leggings, and her dark brown boots. There, that should be sufficient. Emily took care to apply the perfect amount of makeup- not too much or too little. When all the prep work was done, the redhead did some mental checks before grabbing her bag, the lunch, and her keys before heading out the door. 

Emily arrived at the park fifteen minutes early, so she picked a bench and pulled out her sketchpad. She was perfectly content drawing for a while, but then the fifteen minutes passed and there was no sign of Lena. Odd- The Brit was usually a stickler for being on time. Well- Maybe she got held up. Another ten minutes passed and Emily got slightly peeved that Lena hadn't shown. Whatever. She turned her attention back to her sketchpad and was inking something in when she heard someone clear their throat above her. Emily was relieved at first, thinking it was Lena, but then she saw the person's shoes. The person was wearing dark brown ankle boots- Lena only wore sneakers or tan combat boots. Emily's hazel eyes traveled upwards, way too nervous to immediately look at the person's face. Aside from the dark brown ankle boots, the stranger was wearing black stockings, a pumpkin orange pencil skirt, black turtleneck, and a long white coat. The person's blonde hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders and her eyes were a gentle blue. Well- Maybe usually gentle. She was kind of glaring at Emily. It dawned on the redhead that she had seen this woman before. The witch. She was the witch! "...Angela?" That was it, right? Yes. "Where's Lena?" Angela shook her head. "Lena won't be coming.I called you out here." Emily's brows furrowed. "You took Lena's phone and pretended to be her so I would meet with you? Why? So you could tell me I'm not good enough?That I'm too human?!" She snapped, standing up- She was pissed. She didn't like to be deceived and she knew Angela was no fan of hers. The witch took a deep breath, supposedly calming herself. 

"That isn't why I came. I just want to talk. I'm sorry I tricked you into thinking I was Lena, but I knew you wouldn't come out here if you knew it was me." Angela admitted, having the decency to look a little ashamed. Emily snorted. "You're damn right I wouldn't. I know you disapprove of me." The blonde opened her mouth as if to protest, but quickly closed it again. Instead she took a seat, running a hand through her hair before speaking again. "I will admit that I may have been...Unfair to you." Emily cocked a brow. "May have been?" Angela sighed. "Okay- I was unfair to you. But- please...I just want to talk." The redhead should have stormed off. She shouldn't have listened. But, instead of listening to her instinct, she took a seat next to the witch. "Alright, Angela, let's talk." The blonde looked relieved, even giving a small smile to Emily. "Thank you. " 

And despite wanting to talk, Angela was silent for a few moments before finally speaking again. "When I was young, I lived in a small village in Switzerland with my parents. My mother was a garden witch, she specialized in creating and tending to amazing plants. She would create potions for the townspeople. My father's magic was used to heal wounds- I remember humans coming in and out of our house, trading goods for potions and coming for healing. It was...good. They died when I was a teenager, however. It was during a storm and nothing could have been done to prevent it. I continued their work, my magic being a good mix of both of their specialties. But I found my healing magic was even stronger than my father's. I healed their sick and wounded. I brewed potions for them, I brought people back from the brink of death." Angela paused, a bitter smile on her lips. "They called me Mercy. And for a while, it was good. But, it didn't last. The church started persecuting witches...Hundreds of witches and even women people thought to be witches were put to death. When the church came to our village, the people protected me. They told me to flee...They were punished for not turning me over." The witch swallowed a lump in her throat. "They risked everything for me, so I granted their wish and fled. I disguised myself and blended into another village. I was careful- I didn't heal anyone, I didn't brew potions. I was, by all accounts, a human. But I still felt a pull to help people, to carry on my parent's work. So, I did what a lot of women did back then, I joined an abby and helped the nuns to tend to sick and wounded. I was good at it, even without magic. I read every book I could get my hands on about medicine and about the human body. The nuns thought God had sent an angel, since I was so good at what I did, since I saved many lives. But I knew I couldn't stay there forever, they would wonder why I never aged. But, before I could flee, soldiers came looking for me- They thought it highly suspect that a woman was so good at medicine. They threatened the nuns, demanding I was given to them...I snapped, not wanting innocent people to die because of me again. I released my magic at the soldiers, driving them away from the abby. The nuns were grateful that I saved them, but I was told to leave immediately. And so, I did." 

Emily watched the witch carefully- her heart did ache for the way Angela had been treated by society, but she was still unsure when this intense hatred for humans started. "I traveled Europe for years, I went to medical school, worked as a nurse in several countries. I never stayed in one place for very long. But I have witnessed the worst ways humans have ever treated each other. I've also witnessed the worst ways humans have ever treated those of...supernatural origin. The witch hunt, the staking of thousands of vampires, werewolves hunted as trophies. I refused to help humans after I had seen all that death. I helped my kind escape from Europe before we were all wiped out. And eventually, I left as well. We settled in this forest and became nothing but ghost stories." Angela breathed out heavily, the shine of tears in her eyes. It must have been a long time since she told anyone all of that, if ever. "I have grown to hate humans because of all the attrocities I've seen. I let my hatred rule my life for so long. I let myself blindly hate all humans...Even You. You have done nothing to hurt anyone. You have made Lena happier than I've seen her. I-" Angela paused, shaking her head. "I even had to think about the fact that the woman I love was born human... Would I hate her if she never was forced to become something else against her will? That's awful! That's so awful that I'm happy she was forced to give up her humanity!" Emily did think that was awful, but she wasn't about to say so.  Angela's expression turned from sorrow to a gentle smile. "But, she made me realize some important things. Put things in perspective and try to see things from your point of view. " 

Emily gave a small smile as well, still a bit wary of Angela, but grateful for the shift in perspective. "Thank you for telling me all of this, Angela. It couldn't have been easy to tell all this to a total stranger." The witch nodded. "It wasn't. So, tell me about yourself. It's only fair." The redhead laughed at that- the witch could be kind of endearing. "There's not a lot to know! I was born in Ireland. We moved here when I was little and have been here ever since. I teach art at the local high school. I'm a Pisces? Not much to say." Angela seemed to consider this for a moment before focussing on one aspect. "An artist? Can I see your work?" That took Emily back, but she shrugged and pulled her phone to show Angela some pictures she's taken of her paintings. "These are lovely..." Angela cooed, admiring the art. "Oh, thanks!" Emily was a little embarressed, but flattered. Angela stopped at the painting of Lena she had done. The witch really spent a while looking at it in silence. She finally spoke again. "Emily...do you want to know what Lena is?" 

"I....what?" Emily was shocked. Angela must have been the only person who knew Lena's true origins. "Do you want to know?" The witch repeated. Emily paused- still proceasing. "Of course I do." She started. Angela was about to say something before Emily spoke again. "But, I want Lena to want to tell me. It's the ultimate test of trust...As far as I can tell, she's only told you. So, thanks for the offer, but I will wait until Lena wants to tell me." 

Angela smiled, the gentle look returning to her blue eyes. That was exactly what she needed to hear.


	10. Dances with wolves

Despite her earlier judgments and honest effort, Angela found that she actually liked Emily once they got talking. She found out that they shared a love of musicals and of chocolate, that they both loved trential rain, and preferred dogs over cats. So yes, Lena and Elizabeth had been correct to chastise Angela for her prejudices. "Oh! The time, I totally lost track of it!" Emily exclaimed after about an hour and a half of just chatting had gone by. "I didn't even realize..." Angela was shocked that Emily was so easy to talk to, and that she enjoyed the redhead's company so much. No wonder Lena fancied her.   
Ah, Lena....  
Lena...  
LENA!

Angela stood up quickly, her face pale as she came to a disturbing realization. "Lena! She's been asleep this whole time!" Emily looked at Angela quizically, slowly standing up as well. "That's odd, Lena usually doesn't sleep in." This caused the witch to laugh, albeit nervously. "Erm, the thing about that is...I may have placed a teensy little sleeping spell on her..." She had her fingers barely touching for emphases of how "teensy" this sleeping spell was. Emily did not seem amused. "What?"    
Angela's face was red with shame at this point. "I didn't want her waking and coming down here while we were talking...I could have handled it differently, I recognize that. I'm sorry..." She hung her head, but Emily just threw her arms up. "I'm not the one you have to apologize to! Let's go wake Lena!" The human held out her hand, symbolzing her desire for the witch to lead her to Lena, a symbol for trust. Angela hesitated, but ultimately took Emily's hand.   
"Ja, let's go wake Lena." 

The wood was unsually quiet for a Saturday afternoon, but Angela counted it as a blessing- She wouldn't have to explain why she was escorting a human into their homes. Not yet at least. They reached her cottage, both a little out of breath from how quick they were walking. Emily drank in the charming building- The light wood and blue shutters, the amazing colors from the garden in the back- Angela cleared her throat, they were here for a reason. Emily colored a bit. "Sorry- its just, your home is lovely!" The witch responded with a smile. "Thank you, Emily. Perhaps I will give a tour later. For now..." She led the redhead inside and up the stairs, then up another flight of stairs. "Lena liked the tallest room in the house. Said it reminded her of her old flats in London. I offered her a bigger room, but..." Angela trailed off, shrugging before opening the door. The room was painted a light cream color. A Union Jack rug covered the floor, little bits of different times and places were present everywhere Emily looked. And there, wrapped in an orange and white comforter, was Lena. Sound asleep. Emily smiled fondly, approaching the Brit's sleeping form and giving her cheek a gentle caress. Angela snapped her fingers, lifting the spell- And slowly, but surely, brown eyes opened up. "Emily...?" Groggy and confused, Lena sat up, squinting. "What are you doing here?" Emily just shook her head, smiling and moving so Lena could see Angela. 

"Wanna explain what's goin on, love?" Lena inquired, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Angela took a deep breath. "You were right, Lena. I let all my past fears and hatred blind me to this woman who has made you happier than I've ever seen you." She admitted, filled with shame. "But you and Elizabeth made me realize that to live in this modern world, I have to be willing to move forward- To live in the now. So- I am...Supporting you and Emily. No matter what." Angela smiled, resolve in her blue eyes. Lena lept out of bed, throwing her arms around the witch. "Thank you Angie! You have no idea what this means to me!" Angela was quick to return the embrace, relief flooding her as Lena granted her forgiveness. "Of course...As long as you're happy, I'm happy." Smiles were shared between the two and Emily watched on, touched by the scene. She may or may not have snuck a picture- for reference. Angela pulled away after a few moments, wiping her eyes. "Where's Elizabeth? I have to apologize to her as well." 

Lena pursed her lips, thinking. "Erm, I haven't seen her at home! So if she isn't here, she's probably with Jesse!" Ah. That made sense. "Well....We should head there then. I could, ah, use your help for moral support." Angela admitted, nervously picking at her fingers. "Of course we'll help! Right Emily?" Emily, who had previously been spacing out, snapped to attention at that- She looked nervous. "Oh, uh, is that okay? I don't want to cause any trouble given my....very human self." Poor thing. Angela shook her head in response. "No, the wolf pack are actually among the nicest to humans. Elizabeth is just unfriendly." She admitted with a short chuckle. "But everyone else is quite kind. You'll be fine." Emily's face lit up at this news. "Oh, well in that case I'd be honored to go!" 

And so they went, Angela nervously wringing her hands as Lena chatted cheerfully with her girlfriend. The witch was paying such little attention that she walked right into Lena's back, as the Brit had stopped. "Angie? We're here." And aure enough there they were. In front of the cave where the werewolves took residence- the whole thing was a complicated kix of magic and forgery by the elves and dwarves, but there were actually residences within the cave- little houses for each wolf. It was a great system, honestly. Qell hidden and efficient. "Well,well." A voice broke Angela of the other stupor she had gotten into. "If it isn't Angie, Lena, and..." Sniff sniff. "A human? Welcome!" And there stood Jesse Mccree, a cigarillo hanging from his easy going smile. What Angela should have said first was hello Jesse, how are you? Is Elizabeth around? Instead it was "You know, smoking is bad for your health." The man took it in stride, as he always did when she chastised him. "Well, I have faith you can patch me up, doc." Angela was about to say that wasn't the point when she felt something cold and wet against her hand. 

Her eyes traveled down to see the snout of a large, black wolf pressed into her palm. "Fareeha! Hallo!" Fareeha's attention turned to Lena, who scratched behind her ears. "Hiya Ree!" Making the rounds to...Emily. Emily seemed transfixed by Fareeha's appearance. It was easy to see why- She was no ordinary wolf. Besides being slightly larger than an average werewolf, her black fur was adorned with golden stripes above her paws, the same pattern on her tail. And , most interesting of all, the golden markings below her left eye. "Uh...Hello? I'm Emily...." The redhead was nervous, but gave Fareeha a small smile. But her smile soon faded as the sound of bones cracking and stretching filled the air- She was quick to close her eyes on the scene. "Greetings!" A new voice. Deep but feminine. Hazel eyes reopened to see a tall, dark haired woman. She had a pleasant smile and...The marking. It had gone from gold to black in her human form. Emily took her hand, smiling again. "I'm Fareeha. You must be Emily- Lena has told me about you." The redhead was flattered and opened her mouth to speak before ahe was cut off.

"She's waiting for you, Angela. Go get her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some new faces! I'll mention here that Ana and Fareeha are different from Ashe and Mccree because they were both born as werewolves, where Mccree and Ashe were turned.


	11. Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somethings get resolved. Other things spring more questions

Fareeha was a commanding presence, and even though Angela wasn't part of her pack, she found that she didn't delay when told to go find Ashe. It was for the best- No delaying the inevitable and all that. Reaching Elizabeth's section of the house-cave system, Angela knocked twice before letting herself in. No sign of the white haired woman in the kitchen or living room...Must be in her bedroom. And sure enough, laying with her back facing the door, was Ashe. "Elizabeth?" Angela started. Ashe said nothing, didn't even turn around. The witch swallowed a lump on her throat. "Elizabeth...I know you're disappointed in me. I know that you're annoyed with my behavior. I just- I had to come here and say..." Angela paused, her body trembling with shameful tears. "I'm awful, Elizabeth. I'm awful and selfish and just...Bad! I saw how much happier Lena had been and I refused to aknowledge the reason why!" Another pause to wipe away some tears. "But more than that...I pushed your feelings aside. I didn't want to think about that you used to be human! I didn't... I didn't want to acknowledge that you were forced to become something else against your will! It was too horrible..." Angela worked through her breathing, trying to not become hysterical. "It's terrible of me....But I'm happy you became a werewolf. If you hadn't, we wouldn't have met...And even though you're angry with me and disappointed and disgusted- and you should brea-" The witch was cut off by a pale hand against her mouth.

"Not another word." Ashe's tone was low, almost dangerous sounding. She removed her hand from Angela's mouth to rest their foreheads together. "I ain't goin anywhere. Don't you know I adore you?" A sob wracked Angela and she threw her arms around Elizabeth, holding onto her tightly. "I love you! I love you so much! I'm sorry, schatz, I'm so sorry..." She managed to get out. Elizabeth just gave a chuckle, rubbing her girlfriends back. "Don't be melodramatic Angie...We're all good. I love you too." The two woman stood in silence for a few moments, slowly rocking each other. "The bed has been so cold without you, liebling..." Angela whispered, pulling away so she could cup Elizabeth's cheek, her blue eyes meeting the other woman's reds. "Well..." Ashe started, bringing Angela's hand up to kiss it. "Better make it up to ya then..." 

And the camera slowly pans away, leaving our witch and wolf some privacy. 

"Did you get enough cool poses, Emily? Oe should I do more?" Fareeha asked, flexing her very well defined muscles for emphasis.  Emily laughed to cover up how impressed she was by the display. "I got some really good ones of your human form! Would it be too much to ask to take a few of your wolf form?" The redhead was politically giddy at all the inspiration she was receiving. With just Lena, Jesse, and Fareeha- She had enough material for several paintings of each of them. Fareeha cut an imposing figure in her human form...But her wolf form was something else entirely. Pretty soon (after the thoroughly disturbing sound of bones cracking and shifting) the black wolf with the gold marks stood before the little group. "Wow..." Emily breathed out, just as awestruck as she had been when she first encountered Fareeha. "Hmph!" She turned to see Lena pouting, arms crossed. "Don't be like that, Lena Bean! It's admiration, not attraction!" Emily giggled, taking a short break from her picture taking to kiss Lena's pouting lips. This cheered the Brit right up, naturally. "Point taken, please proceed." She grinned, giving Fareeha a two fingered salute. 

This continued for ten minutes longer before Fareeha shifted back, taking a seat on a stump. "It's nice having a new face around here- I can't recall how long it's been!" This earned a scoff from Jesse, who had been strumming on a well-loved guitar. "Y'know it's only been a few months. Baptiste joined up with the other mer-people?" Fareeha made a face of recognition. "Right....Still! Always nice to see new people. It can get stale around here." Emily vehemently disagreed with that. "I can't see how! There's so many amazing people here already!" Jesse and Fareeha both smiled at that, Lena rested her head on Emily's shoulder, grinning. "Told you guys she's awesome." Humble brag. "You were right..." Jesse responded with a light laugh. "Mn, but maybe..." His face darkened a bit. "Maybe we should tell her who to avoid. Not everyone is as friendly as we are." Emily gulped, remembering all of her mother's superstitions suddenly. "O-okay...Who do I avoid?" The three residents all appeared to think about it for a moment. "Well, normally I'd say avoid Angela, but she brought ya here, so yer probably fine. The other witch, Olivia is friendly enough- A little smug, and pretty darn nosy- But nice enough. She's fine, talk to her all ya like." He paused, then made a face likw he remembered something. "But avoid her girlfriend, Amélie, at all costs. Not only is she a vampire, but she hates humans. This goes for the other vampire, Satya, as well. " Emily, who had whipped out her sketchpad to take notes, muttered in understanding. "Okay. Olivia is fine...avoid Amélie and Satya. Who else?" Lena answered next. "Baptiste, Mei, and Zarya are merpeople, they live in that big lake over that way." She pointed in a vague direction. "Mei and Baptiste are very friendly and would probably not mind human company...But Zarya is very protective of them both and she would probably drown you if you tried to go over there." Emily blanched at that. "Okay- Noted. Don't talk to the merpeople because I will get drowned. Gotcha. " Lena smiled sympathetically. "Oh, but a siren also lives over there. His name is Lucio- And despite being a siren, he has no interest in hurting humans! In fact, his music heals people! Talk to him, I'm sure he'd love it. Zarya is only protective over her fellow merpeople, so she shouldn't be bothered if you're talking to Lucio." Emily grinned at this, the idea exciting to her. "Got it! Lucio ia good to talk to."   
"The elves are friendly as well." Fareeha noted. "The dwarves, less so. Torbjorn is small, but has very set views on humans. His children and wife are all very nice and helpful. Especially Brigette, his oldest. She looks more like her mom, which is lucky for her." The werewolf wrinkled her nose. "How a woman as beautiful as Ingrid married Torbjorn I'll never understand." The group laughed at that, even though Emily had little to no idea how the man looked. "Ah- the fairies!" Lena remembered."They're mischievous little things, but not malicious. They wouldn't hurt you, but they might try to play some tricks on you." Emily nodded, writing it down. "Fairies good but mischievous. Noted." Jesse was the next to speak up. "There are three demons. Two of em are brothers- Hanzo and Genji. Genji is definitely the friendliest of the group. Gabe is rough but has a soft spot. Hanzo ia distrustful and difficult to talk to..." Fareeha cut in, playfully elbowing her fellow werewolf. "But he's softened up since you started seeing him!" Jesse blushed a bit, but grinned. "Sure has! Uh, long story short the demons are fine. Just be wary of Gabe at first." Emily took note of everything. All the names, all the relationships. 

"Uhh...Okay- Lighting round!" Lena announced. "Centaurs! Orisa and Efi! Super nice and wonderful! Reinhardt - half giant but a nicer man doesn't exist! Jack, undead! Gruff but won't hurt you! Ana, that's Fareeha's mum, is awesome! She's like, the mum for all of us." Fareeha looked a mix of embarassment and pride. "Oh!" Lena's expression became grim. "And there's one last person you must avoid at all costs. Above everyone, she is the most dangerous. She has no regard for life. She's self involved and vile. Ruthless, I'd say. The banshee- Promise me, Emily, promise me...That if you ever encounter her, you run as fast and far away as you can. Don't even speak to her." Emily gulped at this warning, it was rare to see Lena so serious and even rarer to hear her openly badmouth. "I promise, Lena. What's her name- So I know to avoid it?"

"Ah right...Her name."The Brit took a deep breath, as if saying the name would curse her.

"Her name is Moira."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry this is a bit late! I was on vacation this past week. I was out in the woods so not a lot of service. Anyway! Here's this chapter. I added Baptiste because I love him. I also may or may not write an alternate ending that includes some sexy times with Angie and Ashe   
> Let me know if y'all are into that idea 👀


	12. Empty

Moira. Moira...Moira. The name of the most dangerous being in the wood, the name that struck fear into the heart of the indomitable Lena. The name that haunted Aisling O'Mally. Emily was shocked to hear it- Could it be the same Moira? Could she be the reason Aisling was so scared of the woods? It seemed plausible enough- She didn't dare to mention it, though. Better to let the moment pass. "Thanks for letting me know! I can't wait to meet everyone! Well, erm, meet the ones who also want to meet me." Lena beamed, zipping over to hug Emily tightly. “They’re great! Besides all that, you’ll have some real interesting models for your art!” Emily nodded enthusiastically, thinking of all the potential. Funny to think this all happened because she wanted a more interesting thing to paint than the same lake. “Well...You seem to be enjoying yourselves out here.” Everyone’s eyes landed on Angela, who finally emerged from the cave. Her blonde hair was messier, for sure. Her clothes a little rumpled. And if one looked close enough, they could see a hicky peeking out under her turtleneck. “You seem to have enjoyed yourself in there.” Jesse teased, a knowing smirk on his features. Angela gaped, face red. “Jesse Mccree! I don’t like what you’re implying!” Ashe came up behind her, slinging an arm over her shoulder. “You don’t? You liked it plenty a few moments ago.” More embarrassed sputtering from Angela. And Emily briefly wondered why she was ever intimidated by her...Well, aside from the whole being a witch thing. The redhead was distracted from her musings when she caught sight of a highfive shared by Ashe and Jesse with a very red Angela huffing and taking off in the direction of her cottage. Lena’s bell-like giggles also contributed the the distraction. “Ahh...Well, c’mon Em. It’s gonna get dark soon. I should bring you home.” Emily pouted for a moment before conceding. “Yeaaaaah. You’re probably right. It was real nice meeting you guys! Thanks for modeling for me!” She waved to Jesse and Fareeha. “It was a pleasure!” Fareeha grinned. “Come by here anytime!” Jesse gave a nod in agreement. “Always nice to have company.”   
“Bye Angela, Ashe!” Emily called out to the two retreating figures. Angela may have been too far away, but Ashe turned and gave a brief wave before turning back. “Alright, Lena. Let’s go then…” The brunette nodded and took Emily’s hand, leading her out of the wood. 

 

“I really liked them.” Emily told Lena as they walked back to the O’Mally house. The Brit grinned and nodded in agreement. “They’re great, huh?"   
"They sure are!" The two walked in comfortable silence after that. Lena kissed Emily goodnight before taking off with promises to text she got home safely. Emily ate dinner with her parents, as she often did, but decided to turn in early that night. After changing into pajamas and wiping off the days makeup, the redhead climbed into bed with a content sigh. She was happy to know not all the inhabitants of the wood hated her. She was glad to know that Angela maybe even thought of her as a friend. What a long, eventful day it had been... Emily couldn't wait to see what adventures the coming days would bring. But for now? All she wanted to do was sleep. 

And sleep did come, however it was not restful. Emily tossed and turned, her dreams- She saw flashes of silver hair, orbs filled with purple and gold magic, and those pale eyes…Empty eyes. Emily rose from her bed, as if possessed. She silently stalked down to her studio and began to paint. The woman was in a dream like state- She hardly even knew she was painting, never mind what she was painting. All she knew was that it /had/ to be painted. Silver hair, ghostly grey skin, tall and gaunt. And the eyes. Empty. Emily came to eventually- And when she finally did and really /saw/ the painting. Only one word came to her mind when she cognitively saw her painting. 

"Moira." 

Mind you, Emily had no idea what Moira looked like. Only that she was incredibly dangerous. Emily was- concerned. She never painted like that before. It was like it came from someone else's brain. Like someone else had been guiding her brush. The redhead hastily put away her paints, washing the greys and purples off her hands and brushes. Back to sleep for sure. With one last look at the painting, Emily O'Mally decided not to tell anyone about it. It was a burden for her alone to bare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead and neither is this fic! Oof I was super busy with the end of school and then my depression kicked back in. This is a pretty random chapter? But i wanted to put something out. I missed you guys!


	13. Not funny.

After that very disturbing vision, Emily hardly even had the time to harp on the fact ahe had painted something without really realizing it. The end of term was rapidly approaching, and with it came a whole slew of final projects and tests she had to assign and then grade. Unfortunately this left Emily very stressed out and tired and little time for anything else. But, after weeks of working and grading and meeting deadlines, summer had finally arrived. 

[Text to Lena Bean]   
WORK IS FINALLY DONE LONG LIVE THE SUMMER!!!!! 

And in a cottage in the wood, Lena Oxton's train of thought was interrupted by her phone pinging a notification. She dug the device out of her pocket, giggling when she saw Emily's text. This piqued Angela's interest apparently because she looked up from her book. "What's funny?"   
"Emily. She just finished all her work and she's super excited." Lena laughed fondly, showing Angela the text. "Hah! Long live the summer indeed. You should invite her to come by..."   
This warmed Lena's heart and a big grin graced her features. "Wow! Angela Ziegler, the witch of the wilds, wants a human to come over!" The witch blushed. "Shut up or I'll change my mind." She grumbled, lifting the book to cover her face. 

Lena giggled some more as she responded to Emily's text. 

[Text to Emenem]   
That's great, love! I'm so excited that we'll have more time together! 

[Text from Emenem]   
HELL YEAH. Sorry way too excited rn 

[Text to Emenem]   
No, no! It's cute! Don't be sorry for your excitement :D

[Text from Emenem]   
:o  
Are you flirting with me? 

Lena laughed- This was a move they sometimes pulled with each other. 

[Text to Emenem]   
I might could be ;)   
Is it working? 

[Text from Emenem]   
Always does <3 

[Text to Emenem]   
I wanna smooch you   
Come over soon? 

[Text from Emenem]   
I'd love to! Do you think I could meet more of your friends? 

[Text to Emenem]   
Sure! Come over tomorrow and we'll see whose around

[Text from Emenem]   
Sounds perfect ;) 

 

True to her word, Lena had set up a meeting with the fairies- and Emily recalled that they were tricky, but friendly enough. She and Lena walked to a clearing in the wood, the redhead noting the forest was far larger than she had originally thought. "Oh yeah." Lena weighed in. "I think they stretch may be three towns? A lot of us live within the same town as you, but there are others who live further back." That was interesting for sure. Emily briefly wondered where the mysterious Moira lived, but she was quick to push the thought from her mind. No need to worry Lena. Besides all that, they had arrived at their destination. It was a modern-ish looking house, built by magic- according to Lena, who knocked three times on the door before it opened. A young woman with short dark hair opened it, smiling softly when she saw Lena. "Hey. You really came with a human."  
"Hey Yuna! I really did come with a human!"  The girl, or Yuna, stepped out to get a better look at Emily- Which allowed Emily to catch sight of her wings. They were pretty large and were the shape of normal butterfly wings except for a small, sharp kind of tail at the end. The color was a gradient from bright red to black, matching the girl's fashion. "Where's Hana?" Lena asked suddenly. Yuna shrugged. "Haven't seen her. Which is weird considering Brigitte is on her way here..." 

The fairy was pointing somewhere behind the couple, so they turned and saw a young woman running towards the house. She was taller than both Lena and Emily and waaaay more muscular. Her auburn ponytail swayed as she ran and only when she got close did Emily notice the sharpness of her ears. Elf maybe? Oh! Emily did recall the name Brigitte from her lesson. As memory served she was half elf and half dwarf. "Hey Yuna, Lena! And, uh, you!" The young woman looked at Emily when she said this, but the redhead didn't sense any malintent with that statement- Just curiosity. "I'm Emily. Nice to meet you-"  
Recognition flashed in Brigitte's eyes. "Oh! Lena talks about you all the time! Nice to meet you!" She reached out her hand, which Emily took happily. Emily took note of the contrast between Brigitte's delicate facial features and her massive biceps- She would make a great art model.   
"Where's Hana?" Brigitte's question was directed at Yuna, who shrugged. "That's the question on everyone's mind. I haven't seen her." 

The elf pursed her lips. "Weird. She said she was here..." The group started to get a little worried. Emily didn't even know this Hana and she was concerned. Brigitte looked particularly anxious- There was also a weird buzzing around her head, which appeared to be irritating her. "She texted me- Why wouldn't she be here...." The elf grumbled, checking her phone. "And why won't this bug leave me alone?" Brigitte finally was able to get said bug, which met it's doom with a satisfying splat. 

The victory was short lived, however. Yuna caught sight of the remains in Brigitte's hand. "Those wings....Hana..." Her eyes were wide, panic on her face. Emily's breath caught in her throat and she gripped Lena's hand. "Lena..." Brigitte's voice was little more than a whisper. "Lena please...please- Get Angela..A-Angela can fix her, right? " The elf's eyes were filled with tears and she was shaking. Lena, differently than everyone else, had a look of determination on her face. Her normally brown eyes were glowing a blue hue and Emily could swear she heard the ticking of a clock somewhere in the distance. "Don't worry, Brigitte. Everything will be okay." 

But before Lena could do anything, a flash of pink appeared out of nowhere, followed by laughter. Emily's eyes moved from Lena to this new person. She was a young woman with long, dark brown hair. Her brown eyes were filled with amusement and her cheeks were painted with pink- whisker like markings. And then there were her wings- Larger than Yuna's and with more dips and tails. They were light pink and blue, sparkling in the early afternoon sun. "Your faces! Priceless!" The fairy was shaking with laughter- Emily assumed this person was Hana. Lena's eyes returned to their normal brown and Yuna heaved a sigh of relief. Only Brigitte stood frozen. 

No one found the trick funny, but Brigitte was still in tears. Hana was still laughing at her awful joke. "Hana..." Yuna started, eyes narrowed. "Look what you've done to your girlfriend." The pinked winged fairy finally stopped laughing long enough to notice Brigitte's tears. "Oh shit- babe it was just a joke!" Hana panicked, rushing over to console Brigitte. "A joke...?" The elf whispered. "A joke? You made me think I has squashed you...a-and that's a joke?!" Filled with guilt, Hana hung her head. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that. It was ill-conceived and thoughtless...I'm really sorry." Brigitte sniffed, wiping her face. "This isn't okay, Hana... I thought you were dead. I...I gotta go. We'll talk later." Hana tried to protest but the elf was already running off- Leaving Yuna, Lena, and Emily standing awkwardly in the wake of the disastrous joke.

An eventful fifteen minutes, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an idea from Panquem72 that i wanted to put in the fic because the idea was too amusing to me
> 
> Some teen drama to break up the Moira bomb of last chapter
> 
>  
> 
> Only Brigitte isn't a teen but you feel me :p


	14. Wet and wild

The fallout from Hana's joke left a weird feeling in the air- You could almost feel the tension. "You donked up for real." Yuna deadpanned, smacking Hana upside the head. " I donked up for real- How am i gonna make this up to her?? What can I do to take it back?!?!? What if she leaves me??? She should!" The fairy was hyperventilating, biting at the skin next to her fingernails. Lena knelt in the grass next to where Hana was rocking back and forth with a deep sigh. "Yes, you donked up for real. But this is something you can fix... Give her time and the space she deserves. Then, when she's ready, you apologize. You're sorry for what you did, yeah?" Hana nodded vehemently. "More sorry than I've ever been!" Lena gave Hana a gentle smile and gingerly wiped some tears away from the other girl's cheek. "Then tell her that. And if she decides to forgive you, that's great! But, if she doesn't? You have to respect her wishes. Don't try to force forgiveness, okay?" The fairy gave a weak nod, sniffling. "Okay...Thank you Lena..."

Emily's heart skipped a beat, watching the tender scene. It had only been a few months but she was totally in love with Lena. Which...well, it made things complicated. She was mortal and Lena was...Something else. The redhead briefly wondered what Lena would even say in response to the confession. How would she react? Would she be happy? Or would it make her sad that one day she would lose Emily to the cruel hands of time. It was a terrible thought and Emily was quick to shake it off- No need to think about such things. Yuna helped Hana inside and Lena was left looking at her girlfriend apologetically. “Welp, that didn’t exactly pan out how I imagined.” An awkward laugh followed. Emily shook her head, taking Lena’s arm. “It’s alright, sweet. We can do something else.” Lena pursed her lips, pondering this. “Mh, it’s so hot today it’d be nice to see the merpeople...But Zarya...Eh, I’m sure she can be reasoned with! C’mon! Just stay behind me when we get there, kay?” This made Emily very nervous and she gulped back a lump in her throat. She didn’t really feel like getting drowned...But she trusted Lena. “Okay ...If you say so.” 

And so the pair left the clearing where the fairies lived, crossing a small bridge, and walking about a mile until they came across a shimmering blue lake. “Wow...It’s beautiful…” Emily sighed happily. “Sure is...Ah! Mei!” Lena started waving to something in the water and Emily’s eyes followed the line of vision. A woman with brown hair tied in a bun sat upon a rock, she wore a short, light blue cheongsam-style dress (Emily assumed it wasn’t made of silk like traditional cheongsams since Mei lived in the water) with a light yellow sash. She had a round, pleasant face with bright brown eyes- But most striking about her was her tail. The pattern and fins were similar to koi fish, but the color was a pearlescent white with details of icy blue. “Woah…” Emily’s eyes were wide with awe. What a beautiful person! “Oh Lena!” Mei called back, sliding into the water so she could swim a bit closer to the pair on the shore. She popped up a few moments later and Emily noticed the round glasses held to her face by nothing- Probably magic. “Emily, this is Mei.” Lena said, gesturing to the mermaid. “Mei, this is Emily.” The two waved at each other before Mei suddenly frowned. “A human, Lena? You know Zarya will be here in moments to scare her off.” 

Lena rolled her eyes. “If Zarya has a problem she can take it up with me. Anyone who has Angela’s approval should be safe here.” Mei blinked, tilting her head. “Angela approves of her? Wow! That’s great! Honestly, I’d like to have more humans around. Though, I do understand why Zarya does not…” She added in a sad tone. Emily frowned as well. It seemed so many of the beings who inhabited the forest had a tragic past that led them to hating humans. She really only knew Angela’s story- But going off what she was told and the witches’ pior behavior towards her, she could infer that those who hated humans had good reasons to. Her thoughts were interrupted by a second head popping out of the water- It was a man with curly black hair and deep brown skin, his eyes were kind and he wore a charismatic smile. “Ah! Baptiste! I didn’t see you there!” Mei exclaimed. Baptiste gave a chuckle. “You didn’t see me behind you?” He asked in a teasing tone, Mei sputtered a bit, her face colored with a pale blue blush. “Ooh, a human! That’s exciting.” He extended a hand to Emily, who had to wade into the water to take it. “Jean- Baptiste Augustin, but you can and should call me Baptiste.” The merman shook Emily’s hand with a grin. Emily smiled back. “Emily Lynn O’Mally! Just Emily would be sufficient, I think.” This got Lena’s attention. “Your middle name is Lynn? That’s a lot of L’s for one name!” She giggled and Emily gave a shrug in response. “I guess so- Never really gave it any thought.” Baptiste nodded sagely. “Anyway...You two should come in the water! It’s so nice on a hot day like this!”   
“We’d love to.” Lena smiled ruefully. “But I’m concerned about Zarya’s reaction to a human being in her territory.” Mei’s eyes went wide as she seemed to remember something. “Ah! How could I forget! Zarya went up north for the summer! She’s used to colder waters and it got a little too warm for her here!” The other three all blinked at Mei after she had delivered that very convenient-for-the-plot information. Mei, in turn, sank back into the water out of embarrassment. It was Lena who broke the silence that followed. “Welp! Sounds good to me!” And off came the shirt, revealing a bright orange sports bra. “I’ll leave my shorts on I think…” The Brit said more to herself than anyone else.Emily fidgeted nervously- She was hot but also uncomfortable undressing in front of people she had only just met. “Uhm…” Lena seemed to catch on- Thank goodness for her girlfriend’s intuition. “Ahh- I get it! Hold on, okay love? I’ll run back to Angie’s and grab you something to swim in!” And before Emily could say anything, Lena was gone in a flash of blue light. “...How does she do that..” The redhead grumbled, taking a seat on the ground. Baptiste shrugged in response. “No one knows! That’s why her hair sticks up so well. It’s full of secrets.” That got a laugh out of Emily. “Well...Might as well do some sketching while I wait.” She hummed, pulling out her sketchbook. She was inking in a drawing of Ashe and Angela when she realized Baptiste had made his way onto the sand and was now looking over at her sketch-pad. “Ah! Are you okay out of the water?!” Emily asked, eyes wide with concern. Baptiste waved her off. “For a few minutes, yes. I just had to see what you were drawing!” He grinned, brown eyes scanning the page. “Hah! Ashe certainly looks friendlier as a drawing than she does in person.” Emily snorted. It was true. 

It was only then did she catch sight of Baptiste’s tail- It was a vivid teal with orange tips. Powerful looking - while also being beautiful. He caught her admiring it. “Pretty nice, huh?” He grinned, smug. “Oh yeah! It’s lovely!” Baptiste gave her a cheeky wink before rolling himself back into the water. “You’re really good, Emily. I’ve always loved art but it’s kind of hard to do underwater.” He commented once resurfacing. “Thank you so much, Baptiste. And oof, yeah...I can imagine it would be a bit difficult.”   
“He probably couldn’t draw for shit anyway.” A voice from somewhere behind them called- But the tease came in a good-natured kind of way. Emily and Baptiste turned to face the rock where Mei had been sitting not too long ago- There, cross legged, was a man with bright green hair and a scarred face. There was something distinctly...Reptilian about him. His face was framed with scales that blended into his hair, he had horns and a tail that dropped lazily into the water behind him. His eyes were also pretty snake like and shone the same bright green as the rest of his motif. “You’re gonna pay for that comment, Genji!” Baptiste grinned, swimming over to the other man. “Baptiste if you get my snacks soggy I will fillet you.” Genji seemed like someone who teased an awful lot. Emily recognized the name from her lesson- Genji was one of the demons. The nicest of them, as memory served. Ah- He caught Emily looking at him. “Yo!” He called out, giving her a two fingered salute. “Hello!” She called back, waving. “You must be Emily! Word has traveled that there has been a human hanging around!” Emily laughed nervously. “Yeah, that’s me!” 

After dumping the rest of whatever he had been eating into his mouth, Genji dove into the water, splashing Baptiste when he resurfaced. Baptiste looked at him, unphased. “I know you aren’t trying to have a splash battle with a merman.” The demon shrugged, a playful smirk on his face. “I might could be. Scared a demon will beat you?” And the challenge was set- Leaving Emily watching from a distance and Mei just trying to stay out of the crossfires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad news: My job is boring  
> Good news: I can get a lot of writing during said boring job
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter is pure fluff- But I figured our girls deserved that!  
> The next chapter will pick up where this one left off, so no worries there. I just didn't want this one to go on too long.


	15. Summer sun

It was only a little while until Lena appeared again, she was totally not winded and looked like she hadn’t broken a sweat at all, which was pretty crazy since it was so hot. Emily just figured it was her mysterious magic that allowed her to accomplish such a feat. “Woah, that was quick!” She marveled, kissing Lena’s cheek. The brunette grinned, looking awfully pleased with herself. “That’s me! Quick as lightning!” Real subtle boast, Lena. “I’m not sure you’d want to brag about being quick.” Genji teased, finally emerging from the water, having been totally defeated by Baptiste. “Oi! No one asked you, prick!” Lena was slightly flushed but she took the mockery in stride, just giving Genji a light punch on the arm. The demon cackled, mock punching her in return. “Ah!” Lena suddenly remembered what she had run off to do. “Here, love! I hope it fits alright!” She thrust a bag into Emily’s arms before returning to her play-fight session with Genji. The redhead giggled at her girlfriend’s antics before retreating into the cover of some trees to get changed. The swimsuit fit fine- It was white and gold, leading to Emily’s sneaking suspicion that it belonged to Angela and not Lena. But, with it on, she was finally able to join everyone in the water. Good thing too, as the sun rising in the sky was making things hotter and hotter. 

 

Baptiste had joined Genji and Lena in their playfight, so Emily swam over towards Mei- Who was safelty out of the crossfires. “Do they always act like this with each other?” She asked, amused. Mei nodded. “Mhm! It’s even more rowdey when Zarya is around! She’s very competitive. She has a habit of throwing Lena since she’s so light!” Emily joined Mei’s laughter, just picturing Lena being tossed around was hilarious. The two just watched the other three, making small talk until someone tapped Emily on the shoulder. She froze- Not knowing who it could have been. Mei was beside her, Lena, Baptiste, and Genji were several feat in front of her- Who was it?? She turned slowly to face...A total stranger! But his kind brown eyes and soft smile made her think he was probably a nice person. He had scales across his face, almost like freckles, his long dreads were tied into a ponytail, his scales and tail were a green similar to Genji’s but a little darker. And unlike Mei and Baptiste, he had extra finn-like features on his arms. “Hey! I’m Lucio!” The man grinned, extending a hand to Emily, who took it with a smile. “Emily! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Lucio peaked around Emily to see the other three still fighting- Baptiste was in his element so it seemed he had the upper hand, Lena was not as fast in the water as she was on land but was still pretty quick and unpredictable, Genji had lightning fast reflexes- So it was really anyone’s game. The siren chuckled at the scene, shaking his head. “My boyfriends really love trying to one up each other. They’re so silly, aren’t they?” Emily nodded. “Lena’s not much better it seems!”   
“It’s a good thing Zarya isn’t here too!” The three laughed at their significant other’s rowdy antics, bonding over being the more ‘sensible’ ones in their respective relationships. 

“Oh hey…” Lucio suddenly realized someone at the edge of the water. “It’s Brigette.” Mei and Emily turned to see the elf waving at them. “Poor girl…” Emily frowned. “I wonder if she’s doing okay?” The others were about to ask what she meant but Brigette yelled over, cutting them off. “I’m coming in! Just a sec!” Within a matter of moments the young woman had joined their little group. “Hey, sorry you had to see that this morning.” Brigette smiled apologetically at Emily. “Oh! Don’t worry about me! How are you?” The elder asked, concerned. “Oh…” Brigette deflated. “I’m doing better. The shock has worn off...Now I’m just kind of angry.” Lucio and Mei exchanged confused looks before Mei gently asked what happened. Brigette launched into the story and the confused looks became looks of concern and then irritation. “Man! Hana may be my best friend but that was not cool.” Lucio grumbled. “I’ll have to talk to her later.” The young elf sighed, laying back in the water. “I was working on some armor to distract me...But the forge gets so hot, it was just fueling my temper.” This caught Emily’s interest. “Forge?” She asked, tilting her head. Brigette straightened up, smiling slightly. “Yeah! My papa and I run it! We have armor, weapons, prosthetics...It’s real easy with our fire magic!” Emily smiled at the way Brigette seemed to lighten up while talking about her craft- Poor kid deserved some cheering up. “You use fire magic? That’s awesome!” She commented, causing Brigette to laugh, a bit embarrassed. “Mine is nowhere near as strong as papa’s...He can drink lava without having it hurt him! But I’m only half dwarf- So while I can produce flames and withstand heat, I can’t deal with lava like he can.”   
“Still! That’s fascinating!” Emily praised- To be fair she thought everyone she had met in the wood and even those she hadn’t were fascinating- But she did really mean it!

Lena swam over, pouting. “Did you lose, babe?” Emily asked, giggling. A deeper pout appeared on the Brit’s face. “Don’t wanna talk about it!” She huffed, but brightened up when she saw Brigitte. “Oh hey Brig! How are you feeling?”   
“Better, but not ready to talk to Hana.” The elf answered with a shrug. “Understandable. Forgiveness takes time.” Time...Time- Right. Emily had wanted to ask why she heard the ticking clocks when Lena’s eyes had gone blue- Now didn’t seem appropriate, though. She decided to let it go, for now- Now was a time for fun! Baptiste and Genji soon rejoined the group- Baptiste boasting to Lucio that he had won twice in a row and Genji complaining to Lucio how Baptiste kept winning- The siren seemed to take it in stride and even was amused by his boyfriend’s antics. They successfully cheered Brigette up, who was laughing and joking along with everyone, Emily got in some great pictures to use as reference, Mei even made a slide out of ice in the middle of the lake! 

A great time was had by all, but something was really bothering Emily. Her girlfriend’s mysterious powers were starting to worry her- How she could disappear in flashes, how she was always on time no matter what, how her eyes glowed blue, and how the ticking sound could be heard in the distance. 

Just what was Lena Oxton?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty quick wrap up to this silly side story- I wanted to get back to plot :P   
>  And just to clear it up - Lucio, Genji, and Baptiste are all dating each other- I'll go in and fix the tag :p
> 
> I have some big things planned :')
> 
> Also I plan on posting some fic related things on my tumblr (Like silly art and memes I've made)   
> so please follow me if you want to see those!
> 
> https://absolute-gay.tumblr.com/


	16. Summer Moon

Two weeks passed with little incident. Brigette and Hana made up with the caveat that Hana would never even dream of pulling a stunt like that ever again, Emily became even closer to Angela- The two even hanging out without Lena around, and well, Emily was nowhere closer to figuring out the origins of her girlfriend. She knew she should be patient- But it was so damn intriguing! Not to mention the dream she had a while back- So, the artist was quite on edge with all the uncertainty in her life. 

So distracted, was she, that she failed to realize Lena had texted her she wouldn’t be able to hang out as they usually did- And so Emily was wandering the woods, by herself. Not a great position to be in, given all the people she hadn’t met yet. “Lost?” A deep voice broke her out of her haze. Emily turned to face the biggest man she had ever met. He was huge! Height wise and muscularly- His hair was all white, as was his beard, he had one blue eye while the other was whited out by a scar- By all means he should have been intimidating, but he wore a gentle smile. “Oh- A bit?” Emily laughed nervously. The giant man laughed. “Well of course you are! We don’t get many humans coming this deep into the wood!” His accent was similar to Angela’s, but ever so slightly different. “Reinhardt.” A quieter voice spoke up, and out of seemingly nowhere, was an elderly woman with long silver hair. She too was missing an eye, but unlike the giant, she wore an eye patch. There was something familiar about her. “Do try and be a tad more sensitive to other people’s ears, hm? Those of us with enhanced hearing will be hearing your voice ringing in our heads for hours!” The woman teased. The giant, Reinhardt, leaned down to press the gentlest kiss Emily had ever seen on the woman’s head. “Of course, dearest Ana, my bad.” What a shift in personality. But no wonder the woman looked familiar! Ana was the name of Fareeha’s mother! “You must be Emily.” Ana spoke, a small smile on her face. “My children speak well of you.” Children? Oh- She must view Jesse and Ashe as her children as well. It was very sweet. “Oh, really? I’ve heard wonderful things about you as well!” Emily grinned. “Naturally!” Ana chuckled. “Come, I’ll take you to them.” 

True to her word, Ana led Emily to the rest of the werewolves, before retreating back with Reinhardt. “Emily? What are you doing here?” Angela’s voice surprised the redhead. “Oh- I was looking for Lena but got turned around somewhere. Ana and Reinhardt found me and brought me here.” Angela blinked a few times, concern crossing her features. “Lena? But she’s out of town today. Didn’t she tell you?” Emily’s brows furrowed and she finished her phone out of her pocket. “I don’t...Ah. So she did.My bad. I’ve been so out of it lately…” The witch hummed, patting a spot on the log she was sitting on. “Well, you might as well join us. It’s going to rain soon so you shouldn’t be walking around.” Emily glanced up, fully realizing just how dark the sky had gotten- Odd, as it was only in the afternoon, but all making sense if rain was on the horizon. “Ah, okay. Thanks.” She smiled at Angela, taking a seat next to her. “Not an issue. Ashe and Jesse will be back here soon, they were just getting some refreshments.” And, as if on cue, Ashe and Jesse emerged from the den- Jesse holding most of the refreshments, while Ashe just held some cups and a jug of water. “Oh...Howdy Emily.” Jesse greeted cheerfully- Ashe didn’t seem in the mood for talking and just gave a nod in her direction before taking a seat on Angela’s other side. “Hey!” Emily replied with equal cheer. “Weird weather we’re having, right?”  
“It ain’t right.” Ashe commented cryptically. “Somethin’ feels off.” Angela regarded her partner with concern across her pretty face. “Feels off? Are you feeling alright Schäri?” Ashe shook her head, tapping her fingers on the log they were sitting on. “Feelin’ antsy. Don’t know why.” She spoke shortly, causing more worry from Angela. “Eh, I kinda understand what she’s sayin’.” Jesse chimed in. “I’m sure it’ll pass.” He shrugged, very nonchalant about the whole situation. Emily and Angela shared a look, and before either of them could say anything, Fareeha interjected. “It’s just the weather. I’ve been feeling it too. After all, the three of us are from warmer climates that this.” Again- Very nonchalant. Angela’s brow furrowed. “Bullshit, Fareeha. You were partially raised in Canada.” The werewolf gave a laugh. “You got me there! Anyway...Relax, Angie. We’ll all be fine when this weird weather passes.” 

And so the subject was dropped, and the group picked up a more casual discussion, with the exception of Ashe, who remained strangely silent. “So, how has Satya been doing, Fareeha?” Angela inquired. “She hasn’t been to see me.”  
“She’s doing better. Still a bit on edge after being attacked like that...But she keeps herself busy.” Fareeha responded, a fond look on her face. “Of course she hasn’t been to see you, Angela.” A new voice- One Emily had never heard before. But it was low and smooth- It sounded the way silk feels. “You’ve had a human prancing around you cottage without a care in the world.” Accusatory. “If you have something to say- Stop your lurking Lacroix.” Ashe grumbled, glaring in the direction the voice was coming from. As requested, a figure stepped out of the shadows. She was tall, lithe- Long dark hair in a high ponytail, skin so pale it was nearly white, and unnatural yellow eyes, glaring as if disgusted by those she looked at. “Such a good guard dog you have, Angela.” The vampire smirked at Ashe, causing her to tense up. “Excuse me?!”  
“I thought dogs had good hearing…” The vampire, Amélie  
commented with a faux concerned tone. Ashe balled up her fists, ready to swing, but Angela stepped in, standing to face Amélie. “That’s quite enough. Amélie, I’m sorry that you felt as if you had to come all the way here just to talk...But it is highly inappropriate that you’ve done so. You could have come to where you know I would have been alone.” The vampire just shook her head. “Non, Angela...I am not here because of you. I am here to rid our forest of that human.” She moved forward threateningly. In response, all the werewolves put themselves in front of Emily, glaring down the vampire. “You’ve got a lotta nerve comin’ into our territory and makin’ threats.” Jesse growled, angrier than Emily had ever dreamed of seeing him. “You best run along back to you fortress. Emily is our guest.” Ashe added in, her eyes dangerously red. “Uh- Guys? This isn’t necessary...I can just go home?” The redhead finally spoke up. Fareeha silenced her. “Nonsense. We said you’re always welcome at our den and we meant it. Amélie has no power here and should just go home.” She too, was growling. They were all uncharacteristically aggressive- Well, maybe it wasn’t so out of character for Ashe, but Fareeha and Jesse? Angela had noticed as well, her blue eyes filled with worry. “Please, everyone! Calm down, we can settle this without any violence!” 

“I don’t believe that will be possible, aingeal.” Another new voice and everyone bristled at the hollow quality it possessed. Angela blanched as she made eye contact with a tall, gaunt figure leaning against a nearby tree. Emily peaked around the group to see what had disturbed them all so much- She gasped sharply, starting to shake. That ghostly pale skin, that willowy silver hair, those empty eyes...Moira. The real, actual Moira stood before her instead of just haunting her dreams. “And...Why...Why won’t it be possible to resolved without violence, Moira? Are you planning on doing something?” Angela finally found her voice again. “Stay away beast!” Moira just laughed. “Oh aingeal...How foolish you are. You see, the beasts have been here all this time. And you have put your trust in those beasts.”  
“Who the fuck are you callin’ beasts?!” Ashe growled, seemingly ready to pounce. The banshee shrugged, tucking her hands behind her back. “Haven't any of you noticed the moon?” 

The moon? What was so wrong with the moon? Emily looked up to see that the clouds had moved aside to reveal a bright, full moon. Wait ...Full moon? The pack all paled at the sight, eyes wide, transfixed by the lunar glow. “Emily!” Angela grabbed her arm, desperation in her voice. “We need to get away from them!” Emily allowed herself to be pulled away from the pack and closer to the tree line where Moira and Amélie stood. “Wh...What’s happening?” The young woman asked, fear filling her. Angela didn’t answer, however. She just watched in horror as the full moon took its effect. Jesse’s change came first- He fell to the ground, clutching his head as his bones cracked and shifted. His prosthetic fell to the earth with a thud as he seemed to be trapped somewhere between his wolf and human form. He stood up as straight as was possible, a feral look in his normally kind brown eyes. Ashe’s transformation was more of the same- Her blood red gaze looking particularly scary in this form. And Fareeha...Her feral form was even larger than the others. The gold on her black fur that had entranced Emily when she first saw it seemed tarnished under the moon’s bright light. Her eyes glowed a strange blue green, her teeth bared in anger. “How could I not notice it was the full moon?” Angela whispered, shaking. “Listen, Emily- We won’t be able to outrun them! Just...You’ll be okay if Jesse or Elizabeth get you. But do not, under any circumstance, let Fareeha near you! She’s the only one who can pass along lycanthropy! Run in zig zags, back to the cottage!” She instructed, pushing Emily to get a head start. Emily cast one look at Moira, just because of the presence she had in so many dreams, but now wasn’t the time! She needed to run! The redhead broke into a run, but Ashe was on her tail in an instant- Angela put herself between them. 

“Elizabeth…” She started, putting a hand out. “Elizabeth, it’s me, it’s Angela. You know me…” Ashe seemed to stop, regarding the witch. “That’s it...Look into your heart, your true heart...This isn’t you…” Angela spoke gently, putting a shaking hand on Ashe’s feral form. For a moment, she was still- But the moon’s influence was too strong and she lashed out at Angela- Who fell to the ground. “Angela!” Amélie gasped, moving forward to help- but Ashe attacked, slashing the witch across her back. Angela cried out in pain, gripping the earth beneath her like a vice. Amélie lunged at Ashe, knocking her away from Angela. She produced a small, silver dagger from a compartment in her jacket, holding it to keep the crazed wolf at bay. As that all had been happening, Moira had taken to holding Fareeha back, a strange purple orb taking energy from the werewolf. Jesse was closing in on the already injured Angela- Ashe had taken over the struggle and had pinned Amélie to a nearby tree. Even Moira was starting to succumb to the power of an alpha werewolf during a full moon-Jesse lunged at Angela but Emily threw her arms around the witch, grasping her tightly. Everything had gone wrong- There was no hope for any of them! How were they going to make it out alive?

Tick.  
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Tock.  
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Tick.  
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Tock.  
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Tick.  
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Tock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Schäri- Swiss German variant on chérie
> 
> aingeal- Irish for angel 
> 
> Fareeha's feral form's eyes are like her eyes in her qinglong skin
> 
>  
> 
> I've been planning this kind of chapter since this fic's inception and I'm so happy how it came out. Ana, Reinhardt, Amelie, and Moira all in one chapter!  
> The plot really picks up from here on out
> 
> And hmmm  
> I wonder, what is that mysterious ticking noise?
> 
>  
> 
> :')
> 
> EDIT: Also here's the two moods for this week's chapter
> 
> https://absolute-gay.tumblr.com/tagged/my-fics


	17. Κόρη του χρόνου

Tick  
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Tock  
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Tick  
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Tock  
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T i c k.   
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T o c k. 

 

Emily’s heart was pounding a mile a minute as her shaking arms protected Angela from a threat no mere human could face- What good was she to Angela in this situation? Just a barrier, really. But the witch was already injured, something had to be done to help her! Or...Delay the inevitable. But...Something was off? Jesse pounced so why hadn’t he gotten to them yet? Also what was that ticking? Wait- Ticking…? Emily dared to look up and open her eyes...And what she saw would be burned into her mind for the rest of her life. Jesse was frozen- No, not frozen. Suspended in time. The same held true for everyone but Emily. And there, in the middle of it all, was Lena. She had her right arm raised, palm out, as if saying ‘Stop’, her eyes were glowing that same bright blue, but the light also enveloped her whole form this time. She walked forward with all the presence of a queen, as if daring time to start again. But it didn’t. Time stood stock still until the next thing Emily knew, she was enveloped in that blue light one moment, and the next? She was back in Angela’s cottage. Within seconds, Angela and Amélie were there as well. “Lena…” Angela spoke up, her voice a mixture of fatigue and shock. “What about Moira…?” Surprising to hear the witch ask about a woman she was clearly not fond of. It was probably because she didn’t want the banshee to hurt any of the pack. “She used the time to escape back to her lair.” Lena replied, but it didn’t sound like her- Her voice lacked it’s usual charm, it’s usual life. It was clear to Emily, in that moment, that she was in the presence of someone extremely powerful. It was a little frightening- But she discarded the feeling. It was Lena, after all. He still shaking hands cupped one of Lena’s. She was cold. “You saved us…” Emily whispered, leaning her forehead against the other woman’s. “Thank you.” The light from Lena’s eyes was almost blinding- Until she closed them and Emily felt the warmth returning to her girlfriend. When they both opened their eyes again, hazel looked into brown- The same warm and life-filled brown eyes Emily loved so much. Lena smiled weakly, gently caressing the back of Emily’s head. “Overdid it there...Get’s a bit scary, doesn’t it?” Her tone of voice broke the redhead’s heart. She pulled back slightly to rest her hand on Lena’s cheek and smile at her. “You aren’t scary...I think you’re wonderful.” It called to mind their first night together, where Emily had said the same thing before she had ever seen Lena’s powers. She meant it now as she meant it then. 

 

“This is all lovely,” Angela’s voice interrupted them. “But I’m bleeding out over here and Amélie looks a little hungry.” Amélie flushed, crossing her arms. “I can’t help it!” She huffed, but covered her mouth in a subtle attempt to restrain herself. “Ah! Sorry Angie! I’ll get you a potion!” Lena zipped over to a cabinet and pulled out a small vial with light gold liquid. A vial she almost dropped when someone uttered a “¿Qué onda?” And a figure appeared in a flash of purple pixel-like dots. “Olivia! You scared the shit outta me!” The new woman, Olivia, seemed unphased. “ Ay, pobrecita.” She shrugged. Lena shook her head before turning her attention back to Angela, who took the potion with a grateful smile. “You guys got caught up in the full moon flury?” Olivia asked, suddenly concerned. “Oui, mon amour. It caught us all off guard.” Amélie answered, opening her arms to the purple haired witch, who was eager to wrap her arms around the vampire’s much taller frame. “You’re not hurt, right?” She inquired, searching her girlfriend for injuries. “Non, mon petit cœur. The only one hurt was Angela. By the way…” Her yellow eyes left Olivia and found the other witch in question. “She’s going to be upset when she finds out she was the one who struck you…” Angela sighed, touching the place on her back where she had been scratched. “It’ll be fine. Because it wasn’t Fareeha, no lasting damage will be had.” Amélie looked skeptical but didn’t press the topic. “Also, Lena? What the hell was that?” The vampire’s gaze then found it’s next target. “One moment I was being pinned by Ashe and the next I’m here. What happened?” Lena laughed nervously, giving a shrug. “Magic?” 

No one was satisfied with that. Lena’s shoulders slumped and she collapsed into a chair. “Fine, fine...It’s time I was honest. It’s time I embrace the truth about myself and come forward with it.” She sat up straight and gestured to the remaining seats. “You all might want to sit down. It’s going to be a long story.” Three of four sat- Angela, who already knew the gist of the story, went into the kitchen and put on a pot of tea. Lena waited until it was done before she began- Brown eyes staring into the hot liquid, the wisps of steam rising as she began the long untold tale of Lena Oxton. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was born a long, long, long time ago in ancient Greece (Known as Hellas back then). [Olivia asks: “If you were born in Greece, why are you so Brittish?” Lena laughs and says she’ll get to that.] She revealed that her name was actually Helena, but it had been shortened to Lena somewhere at sometime. As for the surname Oxton? Well, the ancient Greeks didn’t really have surnames so when she eventually did make her way to where Briton would be, she gave herself the name Oxton, as she was born and raised on an Ox farm.She lived with her father, mother, and five siblings. Being the eldest, she often had the task of caring for and entertaining her little brothers and sisters, but she didn’t mind it. Dion, her father, was always cold to her for seemingly no reason. However, he was a good father to her siblings, so his poor treatment of her didn’t really matter so much. Her mother, Agathe, always looked at her with a little bit of sadness, but was a loving and gentle mother. 

When Helena turned fifteen, her whole world changed. Without much explanation, Agathe took her on a trip out of the country and into a city- The trip took three days on foot and Agathe would not answer any of Helena’s many questions about where they were going and what they were doing there. Finally, they reached a temple on a hill, pretty removed from the rest of the city. There, Agathe put her hands on Helena’s shoulders and regarded her with a very serious and forlorn tone of voice. “Listen, Helena, I know I have not been very forthcoming, but there are two good reasons for that. One, Dion is not your father.” Helena’s brown eyes were wide when her mother revealed that bit of knowledge. “He...Is not my father?” In a sad way, that made his treatment of her make more sense. “No, he is not. The second reason I did not tell you why we were going here is because of who your father is.” Without another word, Agathe led Helena into the empty temple. The teen was about to open her mouth again before a flash of blue light filled the temple and a man with wild brown hair appeared before them. He smiled fondly at Agathe. “It has been many years since you’ve been to see me, Agathe. Though, time proclaimed we would meet again.” Agathe bowed her head, face flushed. “Helena…” She gestured for her daughter to present herself to this man. “This...This is your father. Lord Chronos, the God of time.” 

 

Chronos smiled and took a knee, beckoning Helena closer to him. She obeyed and let him survey her. “She is wonderful, Agathe. Tell me, have her powers manifested?” Agathe shook her head. “No, my lord, you told me this would be the year that happened.” Chronos nodded sagely. “Indeed. Alright, I will take her from now on. It is essential she learns what being a demi-goddess entails. You have done well as her mother, Agathe. Now it is my turn.” Helena turned to her mother with wide eyes. “From now on…?’ She whispered, turning to face her real father again. “Lord Chro- Father...Will I ever be able to see them again?” The God gave a small chuckle. “My dear, anything is possible with time on your side.” And so it came to pass that Chronos took Helena in his charge. They traveled around quite a lot and for a long time- Though, time was different to them. Helena visited her family every so often before they died- Chronos noted gravely that it was their unfortunate fate to outlive those who mattered most to them. This went on for years and years and years, until, one day- They didn’t recognize the world they were living in. Nor did the world recognize them. Or, more specifically, recognize Chronos. 

“Listen, Helena. The time for Old Gods and Goddesses has passed. I feel my form weakening. You are half human though, you can survive.” Chronos broke the news to his daughter gently, but she didn’t take it well. “You too? You were supposed to be the one person I never had to say goodbye to!” Helena cried, gripping her father tightly. “It was supposed to be you and me forever!” Chronos rubbed her back, sighing. “I will not really be gone, Helena. As long as my power survives...I will be with you, always.” Helena looked to her father with tear filled eyes, tears he wiped away. “Do not fear the future, child. Time is your true and faithful companion.” With that, he pressed a gentle kiss to her head and transferred his power onto her, his form vanishing into nothingness. Into time. Helena was truly alone after that, she left Greece- Nothing but painful memories there, and made her way to the heart of the British empire. She had been around large empires before, so she figured it would be a good place to start. She liked to be around lots of people, after all. 

 

Somehow, through her time in the empire, Helena found herself in the court of Queen Elizabeth the first- And, well, being as she was, Helena found herself quite taken with the queen. [Angela mutters something about Lena having a type. Emily pouts.] Nothing ever escalated past friendship for them, but Helena told Elizabeth about her powers in confidence, and she became the first human to know of Helena’s control of time since the last of her siblings passed. Elizabeth, however, was still expanding the empire at that time- She had plans for Helena’s powers. The two fought about it. “I won’t do it, Elizabeth! I am forbidden to meddle with the affairs of humans!” Helena stated. “But this is for the greater good, Helena!” Elizabeth countered. Helena refused. She would never use her powers on humans, never. Elizabeth didn’t like that. “I am your queen and you will do as I say!” Helena’s eyes glowed dangerously blue and she replied, cold as ice- “What’s a queen to a god?” 

She fled the palace and retreated to the countryside- She felt hurt and betrayed that Elizabeth would try to use her like that. So, she promised herself not to get close to any human again- They would just use her. But, her personality was as it is now, she needed to be around people- Helena could only stand her self imposed exile for so long. She traveled around the British empire, but always returned to London, in the end. Having no real loyalties, she had no part in the revolution or the wars that would follow it. Well, until the concept of flight was introduced. Helena wanted to fly more than she had wanted anything in a long time. But only men could be pilots, what was she to do? Chop off her hair and change her name, of course. She chose the name Aeon (another name for Chronos) and it was here that she adopted the surname Oxton. With her new identity, she was able to become a pilot and was, naturally, drafted into the Great War. Now, she had been vehemently against joining human affairs as the demi-god Helena...But as the human pilot Aeon Oxton? He had no such qualms. Or...Well, until her plane was shot out of the sky mid battle. Helena tried to activate her powers to save her from the blow- And they did...But not entirely. 

Her half-human self was unable to contain all that power Chronos had passed on to her, it was overwhelming. She vanished into the time-stream, zipping around from the past to the present, to the future- Unable to stop, unable to be seen, or heard. Little more than a ghost. She was so incredibly lonely, so soul-crushingly isolated. This went on for seventy years. Until, one day, she got stuck at a lab somewhere in London. She couldn’t speak or be seen, but she had stopped zipping around the timeline. There was a chalkboard set up and a large man with a lab coat eagerly pacing. A machine started to beep and he looked around, excited. “Hello? Are you there? My name is Dr. Winston- I-if you can, please write your name on the board.” Not knowing how much she would be able to get on the board, if anything, Helena made the choice to shorten her name- She wrote it out one letter at a time.

“L”  
“E”  
“N”  
“A”

“O”  
“X”  
“T”  
“O”  
“N” 

This excited Winston and he grinned widely. “Fascinating! Tell me, how long have you been like this?”   
“70 years” Came the writing on the board. The doctor’s smile faded. “How lonely you must be...Don’t worry, Lena. I’m going to help you. “ And help her he did- Day after day, countless sleepless nights, Winston figured he couldn’t solve this problem with just science, magic had to be involved. So, he   
called upon the help of a witch he had met many years before. The witch arrived a few weeks later, Lena got a good look at her when she stepped into the room. Light blonde hair tied into a ponytail, curious, soft blue eyes, a small but gentle smile...Her name? Angela Ziegler. Angela and Winston combined their knowledge and were able to create something that would anchor Lena to the world. [Lena pauses, gesturing to the blue pendant she always wore.] And for the first time in seventy years, Lena was present. She could be seen and heard! She wasn’t alone anymore. 

And it came to pass that Lena became Angela’s roommate and Winston became Lena’s best friend. Lena wasn’t alone anymore- She was surrounded by people who had lived very long lives and would continue to live on. She didn’t have to say goodbye like she used to. She was finally happy.

So happy, was she, that Helena- Daughter of Chronos, was left in the past. And Lena Oxton was able to thrive in the present. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The room was silent, their tea had gone cold. Olivia was the first to speak. “There was a goddess living next door to me all this time?”  
“Demi-goddess!” Lena countered weakly. Olivia shot her a look. “You can control time, chica. Those aren’t the powers of a demi-god.” 

Hard to argue with that. Amélie looked in shock, but didn’t say anything, just worked on calming Olivia’s energy. Angela, who knew the story, looked between Lena and Emily with concern clear on her face. Emily, for her part, silently stood up, staring down at Lena. A few tense, quiet moments passed before she threw her arms around the demi-god. 

“Thank you for telling me, Lena. Thank you for trusting me…” Emily whispered, hiding her face in the crook of Lena’s neck. She could feel Lena’s shoulders sag with relief as her arms made their way around Emily’s form. And even with the rain pounding at the windows and even with the distant howls- And even with an unknown threat looming above their heads….

For that moment, they were all at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French translations:  
> Mon amour= My love  
> Mon petit cœur= My little heart 
> 
> Spanish translations:  
> ¿Qué onda= what's up  
> Ay, pobrecita = poor thing
> 
> Sombra! And Winston! To clarify, Winston is not human- He's a shapeshifter that usually only is in his human form because it makes things easier. 
> 
> And Lena's origins are revealed! I loved everyone's theories though! They were so awesome! Reading all my "In time" comments hits differently now, doesn't it? :3
> 
> I wanted something like her chronal disassociation from the game but more amplified and magical. The pendant is like her accelerator- She can take it off, as long as it's near her she'll be okay.
> 
> I hope the wait was worth it! 
> 
> And the title is Greek for "Daughter of time"


	18. Heart vs head

After Lena's confession, she and Emily went up to her room, totally exhausted. Emily took a quick shower before bed, finding Lena already asleep when she was done. She smiled fondly, pressing a small kiss to her girlfriend's forehead before finally going to sleep as well. Olivia and Amélie stayed up with Angela for a while, but they retreated back to Olivia's cottage sometime around three in the morning. Only Angela remained. She was restless, worried. Anxiety gripped her as she paced the living room, thoughts spinning. How did Emily really feel about her girlfriend being a goddess? Was Olivia going to start telling people? Why did the full moon seem to sneak up on the pack? They usually kept track of it. Why was Moira there? Did she have something to do with what went down? Was the pack going to be okay? How would Ashe react once she found out she struck Angela? Would Angela be able to convince her it wasn't her fault? Angela paced and worried so much that she didn't realize the sun coming up. The night was over. The storm had passed. 

The witch's shoulders slumped in relief once the sun had come out, the sky shedding the full moon for another month. She had decided to go out looking for Ashe when a thud came from outside the front door. Angela approached with caution, opening the door slowly. Ashe's very human and very passed out form slowly fell in, aided by Angela's magic. The witch caught her with the assist and tsked at the state her girlfriend was in. New scars littered Elizabeth's body, her normally slick white hair was a wreck, her clothes ripped and torn to no repair. "Komme sie heir, schatz…" Angela whispered, half carrying and half using her magic to get the unconscious Ashe to the bath. Once in the bathroom, the blonde propped the other woman against the wall and set about getting the bath ready. Hot water filled the tub and Angela added a few drops of healing potion, as well as some soothing scents. Some candles were lit and calming piano music played quietly in the background. Angela sighed- The easy part was over. She made short work of Ashe's torn clothes, noting that her hat was missing- Perhaps Fareha or Jesse would know it's whereabouts. Another problem for another time. After all that, she gently coaxed the sleeping woman into the tub, quickly getting in as well so that Elizabeth could rest against something without the worry her head might slip under the water. 

Ashe woke about ten minutes later, a confused grunt coming from her. "The hell…? How'd I get here?"   
"I carried you in. As for how you got back to the cottage, that I am less clear on." Angela answered, gently running her fingers through Elizabeth's white locks. “Shit...What the fuck happened last night?” Her voice was hoarse, a side effect of all that howling going on the night before. Angela was silent for a few moments, debating on what parts to tell her girlfriend. “Well, you all turned shortly after Moira showed up. As is expected of that form, you all lost control rather quickly. I’ll be honest, Elizabeth, not everyone made it out unscathed. I was concerned we wouldn’t make it out at all.” She started, Ashe cut her off. “Not unscathed? Who was hurt? And who did it? It wasn’t Fareeha, was it?” Angela shook her head. “Nein, it wasn’t Fareeha. And it was me who got hurt.” Ashe turned in the tub to face the witch. “Who hurt you, Angela?” She demanded, as if she was desperate to know it wasn’t her, which of course, it had been. Angela knew she couldn’t blame it on Jesse- It wouldn’t be fair to him and it wouldn’t be right to lie, even if the truth was more painful. “...You did, liebe.” Elizabeth’s face fell, and the dark circles under her eyes seemed to darken with the weight of this revelation. “Shit…” She grumbled, hiding her face in her hands. “That’s exactly what I was scared of.” Elizabeth’s shaking, pale hands moved to grip at her hair, she couldn’t look at Angela. “I hate this. I hate this! I hate me! Why do I have to be this way?!” Angela took her hands, gently coaxing them off her head. “Hush now. It wasn’t you, not really... I don’t blame you for it. Sure, it hurt at the time...But my magic specialty is healing, ja? It doesn’t even hurt anymore. I’m sure it didn’t even scar...As for why you’re like this...Well, if you weren’t, we never would have met at all.” Ashe looked up, red eyes meeting Angela’s blue. “Maybe it’s horrible and selfish of me to say that- But I’m glad for whatever circumstances had to be in place for us to be together. And if you truly hate yourself, that’s okay…” The witch smiled gently, putting her hand on Ashe’s cheek. “I’ll just have to love you enough for the both of us.” With a small guffaw, Elizabeth rested her head against Angela’s. “What did I do to deserve you?”  
“Oh liebe, you didn’t have to do anything…” 

 

All seemed well in that cottage deep in the woods...But as we all know, things are often unlike they seem. Another dream gripped Emily- Magic of gold and purple swirled around three figures.One figure was very tall with straight red hair, another was shorter with wavy copper locks, and the third was a woman with very pale blonde hair- Emily couldn’t see any of their faces, but somehow she knew they were important. Familiar. But before they could turn and face her? She was woken by a gentle shake. “Em? Love, are you alright?” Lena’s concerned and confused face became clear as Emily blinked. “Mnn, yeah? I was just sleeping…” She responded, wiping the sleep from her eyes. The brunette seemed unconvinced. “Your eyes were open, love. Not like you were dreaming, but rather...Having some kind of vision?” She was unsure of which it was- But Emily shook off any possibility other than dreams. “Helena Oxton, you know I’m about as likely to have any kind of vision as any other human.” Lena wrinkled her nose at the use of her full name, but backed off the topic. “Alright, if you say so…Let’s go get some breakfast, yeah? I’m starved.” That seemed to be the end of it, for now, but Emily had a sneaking suspicion she wasn’t totally off the hook. No need to dwell on it for the foreseeable future. For now? Breakfast!

 

___________________________________________________________________________

“I’m still surprised that plan worked. Those dogs truly are dim creatures.”   
“Easily manipulated is more like it.” 

 

“Not necessarily. Even those who are brightest can be fooled when there are greater powers at large.”

“While this is an engrossing conversation,” Moira turned to face her co-conspirators with a sneer, folding her arms behind her. “Might we get back to the task at hand?” Sanjay cleared his throat, standing from his previous position on an expensive looking chair. “Yes, of course, I have moved forward with enchanting the arm given to Satya. Dwarf magic is so simple. So archaic.”   
“She has no suspicions?”Moira inquired, always rather dubious of the Asura. She seldom had confidence in others anyway. “Not a thing.” He answered, obviously insulted by the judgement from the banshee. “And your projects, Moira? How are they?” Sanjay smirked, as if her answer would be less than satisfactory. “I have had control of Sigma for months now. His space power proved essential in the plan to force the wolves shift. Amelie is totally unaware, but my control over her led me to discover the identity of the other demi-god.” A tall, muscular figure in a crisp white suit stood up and removed a pair of dark shades from his intense brown eyes. “Whose child is it?” He demanded, staring at Moira. The banshee shrugged, looking unimpressed. “Chronos. Lots of power but with a glaring weakness. She wears a blue pendant, without it, she can’t control the flow of time. Oxton will vanish in an instant if it’s destroyed.” Moira snapped her fingers for emphasis. This news pleased the man in the white suit immensely. A sick, hungry grin spread his face. “Then we will do away with her first. And then, we will have our war.” 

 

“Only through conflict are we reborn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI I'M BACK FINALLY
> 
> Things have been fucking wild all of August. Things including, but not limited to, my dad getting married and me moving to a whole new state. So yeah- Been a bit busy. 
> 
> But the plot! She thickens! There's no buildup here like there was with Lena so I'm gonna come right out and say that Akande is the demi-god of chaotic war- Ares' son 
> 
> Sanjay is an Asura, a being in Indian mythology who was once a force for good but turned dark due to greed?? Something like that. I'll leave the link to the wiki on them  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asura
> 
> Sigma is a demon with some pretty gnarly powers. Like minor space manipulation- Honestly I was racking my brain and the internet for a way to make the whole full moon incident make sense. Turns out it doesn't! So, this is the best I have. 
> 
> Moira is shady- We been knew this. 
> 
> German translations-  
> Komme sie heir- Come here   
> Schatz- Treasure  
> Leibe- Love


	19. Dark come soon

Tension was palpable everywhere in the wood. Ever since the full moon incident, people have been more on edge than usual, to the point where the unease was palpable- Hanging in the atmosphere, suffocating, like humidity on a summer’s day. Emily and Lena spent some time together in town, away from all the tension, but neither could stop the nagging thoughts at the back of their minds. Something was coming, something big. Emily’s dreams didn’t stop- She would rise in the middle of the night and be found sometime later by Lena- Always painting mysterious figures. Needless to say, the redhead always covered those paintings up once she was fully awake, they would only serve to cause anxiety if not taken care of. Still, even with all the trouble brewing, they did manage to have some fun, but they joy seldom lasted. Things were going to change, and there was no stopping it. 

The second sign of change, the first being the full moon incident, came in late July. Angela, Lena, Ashe, and Emily were all sitting in Angela’s cottage, chatting amongst themselves as a summer storm raged outside when the front door was opened forcefully. Ashe was the first to jump to her feet, but she visibly relaxed once she saw the figure in the doorway. However, Fareeha’s expression was anything but relaxed. “Fareeha? What are you doing here at this hour?” Angela asked, concerned. “Come in and dry off…” The alpha wolf was shaking pretty badly and she seemed to be a mix of shocked and disturbed. “No time…” The woman muttered. “We need to go.” Cryptic. Angela narrowed her eyes, keen on dragging Fareeha in if need be. “What on earth are you talking about?” Fareeha’s expression turned grim, and only did everyone notice the tears mixing with the rainwater running down her face. “Satya and Amélie are gone. Olivia and I have been searching for days now.” Emily paled, raising her hands to her mouth. “D..Do you mean they’ve died?”  
“They’re vampires, Em.” Ashe grumbled. “They’ve been dead a long time.” 

Fareeha sank to the ground, exhaustion clear in her body language. “We thought they could have disintegrated in sunlight somehow...But Olivia performed some...Unsavory magic to make sure that wasn’t true.” Everyone in the room exchanged looks, Lena was the first to break the tense silence. “Moira was there on the night of the full moon incident. She clearly had something to do with that, right? Maybe she’s behind this as well.” She suggested, a look of disgust on her normally cheerful face. Angela gave a slow nod. “Yes...And she arrived shortly after Amélie that night. That was the first time I’ve seen her in a number of years. She usually keeps to herself.”  
“But that doesn’t explain Satya’s disappearance.” Fareeha interjected, obviously frustrated. “No, it doesn’t. But regardless…” Lena started, her eyes once again flashing that bright blue. “We should speak to Moira.” 

 

Despite everyone’s arguments, Emily ended up forcing her way into the group that went to confront Moira. “You don’t understand, Angela. She’s been haunting my dreams for months!” And finally, after hiding it for so long, Emily watched Angela get pale and then get angry. “She has no business in your dreams, Emily. We’re going to sort this all out.” And so, they geared up. Angela wore the same ensemble she was wearing the day Emily met her, and Ashe had a semi-automatic rifle slung across her back. “Just in case.” Was all she said when she caught Emily eyeing it. And so, they set out. Lena insisted that if Emily was going to come, she should stay in the middle of the group, surrounded by people who could actually maybe pose a threat to Moira if needed. A completely fair assessment, Emily was absolutely no threat to Moira. They walked deep into the wood, deeper than the redhead had ever been. Eventually, they reached a huge, thick tree with a simple wooden door carved into the ancient bark. Moira had anticipated them somehow and was not too far away when they approached her dwelling. “Angela and the whole motley crew...To what do I owe this honor?” Emily had no fighting capabilities, but even she wanted to slap the smirk off the banshee’s face. Fareeha was the one to speak, her eyes going the same blue as they were in her feral form. “Where are Amélie and Satya?” She growled, moving closer to Moira- But even as physically imposing as the wolf was, Moira seemed unphased. In fact, she seemed pleased. “Why, they’re right behind you...As well as some others who have been waiting for you, Oxton.” 

Lena’s brown eyes went wide and she whipped around to face six new figures. They were mostly unfamiliar...But there were two that stood out as being both very familiar and horrifically unfamiliar. Amélie and Satya were indeed behind them, but they weren’t quite right. Amélie’s skin had gone completely blue and her golden eyes shone an unearthly yellow. Her fangs protruded from her mouth and extra arms were dangling at her sides. Satya seemed to be made of magma- Her dark skin had gone red, orange, and black. Her soft brown eyes were now the same unearthly yellow as Amélie’s, but her pupils had thinned into slits. They had been distilled into something monstrous. “What have you done?!” Fareeha demanded, turning on her heel to grip Moira’s collar. Moira simply shrugged, as what she had done couldn’t possibly matter. “I have not touched your mate, Amari. That was someone else.” She gestured to a particularly smarmy looking man with a sick grin on his face. “An asura?” Angela asked, visibly shaking. “It’s rare to see them so far west…”  
“Indeed, witch of the wilds, though I am not who you should be concerned with.”  
Angela’s attention was caught instead by the imposing man who had stepped forward. His wide, white grin contrasted with his deep brown skin. He wore a huge, golden gauntlet on one arm and his face was painted with what Angela assumed was war paint. His gaze was locked on...Lena. But she matched his glare, despite being much smaller.

“Yes, it’s all come together. Excellent work, Moira, getting them to deliver the demi-goddess to me.” This made Lena tense. “How…?” She asked, keeping her eyes trained on the man before her. Moira was the one who answered. “Amélie has been my thrawl for a while now, I heard the whole story through her.” Lena sighed, obviously not pleased that more people knew her not so little secret. “But I am worthy of that information, Oxton. You see, like you, I am the child of one of the Gods. I am Akande, son of Ares.” The man, Akande, grinned wider as Lena paled. “The God of chaotic war...Is...Is that why you’ve kidnapped Satya and Amélie? You want a war?” Akande barked out a laugh. “You’re smarter than you look, Oxton! Yes, that is my aim. After all, only through conflict are we reborn.” 

Lena didn’t have to hear anything else. In a moment she was gone, but reappeared at Akande’s side to shoot some magic at him. She seemed to be frustrating him, as his eyes traveled around wildly, trying to find her. This went on for a while, with Ashe and Fareeha dealing some damage as well. (No one had noticed Sanjay escaping with Amélie, Satya, and the other figure [who was Sigma]). Only Angela and Emily remained passive, the redhead gripping the witch’s arm, anxiety ridden about the outcome of this battle. But Angela was a rock, blue eyes glaring still glaring at Akande. But he glared back. And he kept his dark eyes trained on her as he reached out and grabbed Lena’s pendant, tearing it off. Only then did Angela’s expression change from determination to horror. And Emily watched, wide eyed as Lena zipped around, trying to stay, trying to fight the disassociation. But in a moment of desperation, reaching out to her lover, before...She was gone. Akande crushed the pendant, a smirk on his features. The shock had stopped Ashe and Fareeha in their tracks. Everyone seemed frozen. Time seemed to have stopped- Which wasn’t the case, for the record. Lena was gone, after all. 

The air was thick with fog, light rain had started. But not one among them noticed. Angela was the first to move, scrambling to gather the pieces of Lena’s pendant- Akande was waiting for her, he was priming an attack...But he stopped. Eyes trained on a different target. Emily had gone still, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her cries, though, turned to wails of agony. Her wavy copper hair went silver. Her pale, freckled skin went a light grey, her fingernails sharpened to points, and her warm hazel eyes went blank. Glowing with empty light. “Bu...But Emily’s a human!” Angela gasped- And Moira, recognizing very similar features, finally moved forward, surprise on her normally passive face. Tendrils of dark purple magic latched onto Akande, weakening him. “AFTER I’M THROUGH WITH YOU YOU’LL BEG TO GIVE LENA BACK TO ME!” Emily’s gentle voice had been replaced with a voice wracked with agony, desperation, and unparalleled anger. She was going to make him pay! She was going to make him suffer! She was going to K I L L H I M .

But a hand covered her face, drawing her shaking frame into a tight hold. “Don’t…” A gentle voice. “Don’t do something you will live to regret. You can’t give back a life once you’ve taken it…” And she stopped. Finding herself willingly being held back by Moira, who was perhaps the one person in the world who would understand what she was going through. Once she had calmed, Moira finally let go, moving over to Akande. “Leave for today. You’ve accomplished what you set out to accomplish.” He was about to protest when Moira snapped her long fingers, and a tall, bald man wearing strange armor appeared out of nowhere. “Sigma. Take Akande back to his base.” Sigma bowed his head and he dragged Akande into a waiting portal. During this time, Angela and Ashe has rushed to Emily’s side. Emily clung to Angela desperately. “Alles ist gut...Alles ist gut…” The witch mumbled, stroking the woman’s hair gently. “How...How did this...Happen?! Why, why am I like /this/?! How do I turn back?!” Emily was desperate for answers- Ashe took one of her hands. “Listen. It’s real simple, okay? Close your eyes and just...Imagine yourself. The same self you see in the mirror.” Though skeptical, Emily was willing to try anything to return to normal. And sure enough, silver hair returned to red, grey skin was once again pale and freckled, empty eyes gave way to hazel. “As for why…” Angela started, looking in Moira’s direction. “I think there’s only one person here who can answer that.” 

 

Moira cleared her throat and gave a nod. “Indeed. Aingeal here knows many things, but not so much about our kind.” She technically complimented Angela but it did sound a little condescending. “But, tell me, what do you know of your mother’s family? This trait would have been passed down through her blood.” Emily wiped some of her tears away before giving it some thought. “My mum doesn’t have any family. She was an orphan with no siblings. But she’s totally human!”  
“Ain’t that what you thought about yourself?” Ashe inquired. “...Touche.” Emily responded. Moira seemed unconvinced. “There’s something about you that is...Familiar. What was your name again?” The young woman sighed, failing to figure out how Moira hadn’t heard it by now. Perhaps she simply hadn’t cared until now, actually. “Emily. Emily Lynn O’Mally.” The banshee’s glowing eyes widened a fraction. “Emily...Lynn?”  
“I know, I know. Lot of L’s..” Moira shook her head. “No. not that. It’s...Well, the combination of those two names. Your mother, what’s her name? And do you possibly know her maiden name?”  
Emily thought back- Was there ever an instance where she learned her mother’s maiden name? Yes- While looking for her birth certificate she had found her parent’s marriage license. Signed by Conner O’Mally and… “Aisling O’Deorain.” 

 

“Aisling O’Deorain…?” Moira covered her mouth, clearly in shock. And suddenly- Her silver hair was transformed to a short, slicked back look and the color warmed to a very familiar red. Her skin too, was pale with extremely faint freckles. She retained her impressive height, but those empty eyes were replaced with one eye as blue as the sea and one as red as blood. Even her clothes changed- From the torn white number to an ensemble of black slacks, a crisp black button up, deep purple waist coat, and a teal, skinny tie. “I must speak with her.” Moira stated after she had changed. “It is urgent.” Emily, despite being anxious to learn about her sudden acquisition of magic, wasn’t too keen on Moira being anywhere near her home let alone her parents. “What, why? Why could you possibly want to see my mother?” 

Moira took a deep breath, her expression melting into something quite a bit more gentle...Quite a bit sad. “Because, Emily. My full name is Moira O’Deorain.” Emily’s eyes widened- She was somehow related to Moira? Was her mother a descendant or something? “I can see the possibilities churning in your head, dear.” Moira gave a brief chuckle. “I promise you the explanation is really quite simple. You see your mother, Aisling, is my younger sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> German translation  
> Alles ist gut= Everything is okay 
> 
> SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
> :')  
> This is a pretty jam packed chapter.  
> Lots of reveals! Also Lena! Missing! Lost in time once again!  
> Emily, not as human as once suspected!
> 
> Moira is indeed a family member, but no so distant!  
> Now, is she younger than we think or is Aisling older? WHO KNOWS?????????Me, I know. 
> 
> Amelie's transformation is mostly based on her usual design in game, with some extras- Her usual appearance in this fic mirrors her huntress skin. 
> 
> Satya's is based on her dragon skin


	20. Nochtadh

After some deliberation, Angela turned to Emily, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You should go home, Emily. There’s little good to be done here. I’ll get in contact with Winston and start working on getting Lena back- But I do have to warn you, I’m not sure how long this whole process will take. We have to be patient.” Emily let out a long sigh- Angela was right, of course. But that didn’t mean it was a satisfying answer. “As for you…” The witch turned to Moira with a glare. “Swear to me that no harm will come to Emily and her family- Make a vow to me, and then I will allow you to with her.” Angela put out her hand, magic swirling around it. Moira regarded the extended hand and then sighed, conceding and taking it. “Making a promise to a witch guarantees I will know if you break it. I will not hold back if that is the case, Moira. Am I clear?” Angela’s blue gaze drilled into Moira’s mismatched irises. “Crystal. I, Moira O’Deorain, swear to you, Angela Ziegler, that no harm will befall Emily, her mother, or her father.” The two shook, and when their hands separated there was an imprint of wings on Moira’s hand. “Angela’s sigil.” Ashe whispered to Emily, who looked very confused. “Alright, Emily. Best of luck…” The werewolf pet her shoulder before taking off with Angela. Emily exchanged looks with Moira before heading in the direction of home. 

Not a word was exchanged the entire journey. Just Emily stealing glances at the much taller woman- Noting every feature that was suddenly all too familiar. Despite being more angular than Aisling, Moira did look a fair bit like her. Especially with the pensive expression she was currently wearing. Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking (But in reality was only twenty minutes), they finally arrived at the O’Mally home. Emily led Moira inside, looking around anxiously for her mother. “I think she’s in the kitchen...Better let me go in first, yeah?” She turned to her aunt, who gave a nod in response. Emily turned the corner and found her mother in the breakfast nook, gripping a cup of coffee and reading a book. “Emily! Darling, welcome home.” Aisling smiled warmly, looking up from her dog-eared pages. And then, seeing her mother, Emily was overwhelmed by all the emotion of that day. She sat next to the other woman, sinking into her waiting arms. She shook with tears as Aisling ran a gentle hand through her hair. “My love...What is it? What’s happened…?” Emily couldn’t speak, she just held onto her mother- As if she would vanish as Lena had. Mother and daughter stayed like that for a while, until Emily finally found the will to lift her head up and let Aisling wipe her tears. “Uh, mum…?” She started, her voice a bit hoarse. “I, erm, I have someone here to see you…” Aisling’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Someone here to see me? Who could it be?” Without having to say anything else, Moira took Emily’s cue and stepped into the kitchen, careful to duck under the archway. “Aisling…” She started, taking her sister’s form for the first time in god knows how long. Aisling’s green eyes widened and she stood up, visibly shaking. “M..Moira? Is it, is it truly you? How?! How did you find Emily?!” She demanded, shock transforming into something else entirely. “It’s a long story, Aisling. Speaking of...I believe we owe your daughter one.” 

The tension in the air was palpable, the steadily falling rain provided an ambiance of sorrow, Aisling’s eyes were cast down at her hands, but they did not seem to focus. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she spoke. “...This is not something I’ve had to talk about in a very long time. But here it is, the truth I have wrongfully hidden from you for so long.” Another deep breath. A clap of thunder. Emily’s eyes never left her mother, for fear the truth wouldn’t come out if she didn’t give her absolute attention. 

 

And then the story began…

 

A long, long, long time ago in Ireland there lived a very happy couple and their three daughters. The eldest was very serious and curious- She asked loads of questions and read every book she could get her hands on. This girl was very tall, had straight red hair that fell down her back in a single braid, her eyes were both as red as blood, hard and judgmental- And blue as water, curious and guarded. The eldest daughter was known as Moira. The youngest daughter was Moira’s opposite- She was very whimsical and creative, a free spirit. She would run through the woods barefoot with her long hair trailing behind her. This girl’s hair was pale yellow, unlike the rest of her family, and her eyes were such a light blue they almost shone silver. The youngest daughter was named Emilyn. As for the middle daughter...She was down to earth, prone to worries and anxiety. She would sit by the cliff and watch the water, trying to calm the efervescent Emilyn and trying to open the reclusive Moria. This girl had wavy red hair that fell to her waist. Her wide, worried eyes shone like emeralds and the freckles that dusted her skin were darker than those of her sisters. The middle daughter’s name was Aisling. 

The three sisters loved each other very much, even if the rest of their village was wary of them. Both Moira and Emilyn looked strange to the other villagers, both acted strange...But Emilyn was stranger still than Moira. She had a high level of empathy, and it would affect her greatly if she saw anyone...or anything in pain. Once, while her father was chopping down a tree, she ran to him, crying. He asked what made her so sad. “I’m in pain papa...The tree is so hurt and it’s frightened! It doesn’t want to die. Please, papa, you must not cut it down!” And while it grieved his heart to see his young daughter in such anguish, he had to cut the tree down, as his family needed it to survive the harsh winter. In moments such as this one, Moira and Aisling would take their sister away, singing ancient songs with her until she calmed. It was this ability that made the others so wary of the O’Deorain family. The girls did not let it bother them, however. They had each other, and that was all they needed 

Unfortunately, life has a way of making things far worse than any kind god would allow. It happened on a foggy night, when the land was covered in a silver film and the stars could not be seen. A mournful wail pierced the still night, alerting the villagers to something dire- They expected someone to be found dead come morning, but everyone was still alive. So what was the wail? It was a warning. Twenty-four hours after the dreadful sound, the O’Deorain patriarch was found by his daughters- Still and cold. Occurrences like this one happened more and more often. There would be a foggy night, a mournful wail, and twenty-four hours later, someone would be dead. The villagers were getting panicked and started looking for someone to blame. And who did they choose? Who else could it have been but the strange girl who claimed to feel when trees were in pain. Emilyn was the perfect suspect- Her pale skin, hair, and eyes. Her extreme empathy. The wails came from the direction of her home. 

Old tales refer to women like this- With pale features and howling cries. In their wake death would come and claim victim after victim. Baintsíde is what they would call these women...Banshees are what they are called now. The villagers believed Emilyn to be one of these creatures and were determined to see her die for it. They stormed into the O’Deorain home, binding Moira and Aisling, who had tried their best to protect their sister. They dragged Emilyn out by her hair, throwing her weak frame to the ground as they argued about who would be the one to kill her. Finally they decided on a man who had lost his wife and both his sons to a freak accident, foretold by the banshee’s wail, should be the one to kill her. Emilyn did not struggle, even when her sisters were trying to get her to run, to fight back- Anything. Her eyes filled with tears as the man approached her. But...the tears were not for her or even for Moira and Aisling. “I know how much it hurts…” She whimpered at the man. “You are in incredible agony. If this is what you must do to feel some release from this pain, please...Let me help you.” Emilyn wore a smile the whole time, even as the sword was driven through her heart. 

The crowd cheered- The cursed being was gone! Their town would no longer be plagued by the thick fog and mournful wails! But no one stopped to think about the fact that those conditions were met twenty-four hours earlier and yet the only one who died was Emilyn herself. It is well established that banshees can not herald their own death. 

The moment of revenge fueled elation was cut short when a power surge was felt through the air. The villagers looked around wildly for the source- And finally found it. Even tied up, her power was a terrifying force. Her cries of sorrow turned to howls of anguish, her long red hair went white, her pale skin turning a sickly grey, and then her eyes ...Her mismatched eyes went blank. For you see, the banshee was never Emilyn, but Moira. 

She released herself from her binds, fury and loss driving her. Moira turned to glare at those who had stolen her sister and reached out her hands, her talon like nails extending as she ripped the very souls from the murderer’s bodies. She did not stop until Aisling grabbed her hands. “Please…” Her sister begged, green eyes red with tears. “Please stop, Moira. Let’s just run! Please! Don’t hurt anyone else! Think of what Emilyn would think to see you like this!” This made Moira’s heart skip a beat, and slowly her red hair and mismatched eyes returned. “....You’re right, Aisling. Let us flee…” And they did, but not without Emilyn’s body and a few ancient tomes Moira had dug up from deep within their home. They buried their sister in the woods she loved to run in, under a willow tree. The two did not speak for days, they only fled further and further away from the village. Finally, Moira could stand it no longer. 

“...Aisling, you would be better off without me. I only cause pain, I will only hurt you.” This angered Aisling, who glared at her sister. “How on earth would it be better if I were alone? If you were alone? Someone has to keep you in line- You can not lose control like that again!” She shot at the elder. “They killed our sister, how was I supposed to react?” Moira countered. “Anything would have been better! You killed so many people, Moira! Inno-”  
“Do not call them innocent!” Moira snapped, dual eyes alight with anger. “They killed our sister!” Aisling threw up her hands. “You already said that! Yes, I know they killed Emilyn! I get it!”   
“No, Aisling…You don’t.” Moira started, staring down at her pale hands with visible disgust mixed with palpable sorrow. “They killed our sister because of me.” Silence fell over the sisters. And Aisling finally softened, moving to wrap her arms around Moira. “I’m sorry, Moira...I did not realize the implications of her death...I cannot imagine what you must be feeling right now. I’m sorry…” 

Moira’s shoulders slumped and she gave her sister a tight hug in return. “I’m sorry too, Aisling. But this is for the best.” And before Aisling could ask what Moira was talking about, her whole body was encased in stone, leaving her just a statue. And there Aisling remained for decades. For centuries. 

 

Emily was so engrossed in the tragic story of her family, she hardly noticed when it was Moira who picked up where Aisling had left off. 

 

Moira felt as if she had to curse her sister in order to protect her. This way, Aisling would never get hurt, never get killed because of something Moira could not control. She never strayed too far away from Aisling’s stone form. She drove away those who might seek to harm or steal the statue- She frightened potential vandals and thieves so badly that word started to spread that the statue was cursed and that no one should go near it. 

For centuries, Moira stayed as an almost constant at Aisling’s side. She did wander a bit, her natural curiosity still as alive as ever. But she would always return to her sister. But, it was unfair to keep Aisling trapped in such a state- Moira had gotten the chance to live, to explore. Aisling deserved that chance as well. But the timing had to be right...After all, she would wake up in a totally different time. There had to be the correct opportunity. And, as it turned out, opportunity came in the form of a young man, a young man named Conner O’Mally. He had been visiting Aisling’s statue since he was a child- His mother had introduced him to the spot. She was a woman who believed in the existence of magic and fae, she believed there was more to the statue than met the eye- She passed this belief onto her son, who would come visit Aisling’s resting place so she wouldn’t be lonely. Moira knew this was the one person who could take care of her sister. He had to be. And one day, after coming home from university, Conner found a young woman in a dress unlike those worn in the current time. Red hair fell over her shoulders and down her back, her green eyes were wet with tears. “You...You’re the woman from the stature, aren’t you?” Conner asked, eyes wide. “My mum always told me there was more to you, she’ll be pleased to know she was right.” Aisling was clearly confused, but took the hand extended to her. “...Please, can you, can you tell me where I am? What strange clothes you wear…” Conner was taken aback, but gave a good natured laugh. “I see I have a lot to explain. Come on, I’ll tell you everything on the way.” Moira watched them retreat into the town, satisfied her sister would finally have someone to take care of her. “Be safe…” She whispered before vanishing in a plume of dark smoke. 

 

And so ended the tale of the O’Deorain family- Leaving Emily totally speechless. It certainly was a lot to take in. Emilyn? The awakening of Moira’s powers being eerily similar to Emily’s own? Aisling as a statue for hundreds of years???? It was all so much. Aisling broke the silence that descended after the story had ended. “How could you do that to me, Moira? Turn me into stone? You were all I had left!”  
“I thought it was for the best.” Moira answered, eyes not meeting her sister. “Best? Best for who? For me? For you?!” Aisling slammed her hands down on the table. “Look at me!”   
Moira sighed, her shoulders slumped. “Best for you. I was a danger to you, Aisling. I had already caused Emilyn’s death- I couldn’t handle it if you met the same fate.” She paused, casting her eyes towards Emily. “Besides, you have a husband and a daughter. Wasn’t it better for you, in the end?” 

Aisling opened and closed her mouth a few times, the logic was there as much as she didn’t want to admit it. “...Moira...You were alone for all this time?” Moira nodded, but shrugged as it couldn’t matter. “I’ve made some mistakes, some very damaging mistakes.” She started, rising to cross the room to where Aisling sat. “But I will do everything I can to make it right. I’ve missed you terribly, deirfiúr.” Her lanky arms opened and with a moment’s hesitation, Aisling fell into them. 

 

“I’ve missed you too…”  
Emily wiped a tear from her eye, watching the touching scene. But as much as the story had been a sad one, it filled her with a drive. She was going to get Lena back, no matter what.

It was only a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> deirfiúr = sister   
> Nochtadh= uncovered/exposed 
> 
> Moira (name meaning) = Fate (Latin), bitter (Irish and Hebrew)   
> Aisling (name meaning) = Dream or vision   
> Emilyn (Name meaning)= Trying to equal or exceed 
> 
> The name O'Deorain comes from deoradh, or exile.   
> Whoever came up with Moira's name really did their homework. Her name means bitter exile and that's basically her story in game. 
> 
> BUT YEAH-I'm ahead of my posting schedule for once so happy birthday to you guys  
> Here it is! The origin of Emily's family! Half of it, anyway. Though, I'll be honest and say her dad's side doesn't realllly matter   
> The three figures Emily's dream mentioned in the previous chapter were Moira, Aisling, and Emilyn, just to clear things up. 
> 
> Also to clear things up- Emilyn was magical but not a banshee  
> Aisling is not magical


	21. Onward and upward

Weeks passed with little to report on, Angela had gone to London to find Winston, Moira spent a lot of time with Aisling- trying to reconcile their relationship, and Emily prepared to start a new school year. Her vision like dreams didn’t stop, however. Even though she had met Moira and learned the history of her family, images still haunted her sleeping hours. She explained the phenomenon to her aunt, hoping the banshee might have an explanation. “That is rather odd, I don’t possess any power like that. The only time I get glimpses of other’s lives is when they’re about to die. Though, perhaps Emilyn had a similar ability.” Emilyn. Yes- That was probably it, but Emilyn was long dead, so there wasn’t a way Emily could ask her. 

Or so she thought. 

 

During a rare night of restful sleep, Emily’s dreams were interrupted by a woman with long pale blonde hair, silver-blue eyes, and a kind smile gracing her features. “Emily ...My dear niece, it’s time to talk…” The woman’s voice was very soft, effervescent. Emily was positive she was still sleeping, how else could Emilyn be there? But, this was an opportunity to get answers. “A, Aunt Emilyn?” She ventured, unsure of how to address the woman who had died so long before she was born. Though, Emilyn seemed rather pleased by being called aunt, so the younger supposed it was okay to continue. “How, how are you here?” Emilyn pursed her lips, resting her hand on her cheek with a pensive expression. “That’s a bit hard to explain, my dear. I believe it is some sort of latent ability. Though, it may have something to do with your lover.” Emily’s eyebrows shot up. “My lover? What could Lena have to do with this?” Emilyn’s ghost floated closer, sitting on the bed next to her niece. “The daughter of time has incredible power, Emily. It could be her abilities over space-time combined with some of your latent abilities. Though, I must be honest and admit I am unsure how this is working.” Emily sighed, frustrated. This helped nothing- Might as well change the subject and perhaps get some actual answers. “Well, okay. But what latent abilities? Wouldn’t have Aunt Moira told me?” Emilyn shook her head, but took a pause, thinking of how to explain whatever it was she would be saying. 

“Well, actually, there lies within you, a choice to make.” Emilyn started. Emily’s silence prompted her to continue. “Your banshee powers were unlocked in a moment of extreme, negative emotion.”   
“Weren’t Moira’s as well?” Emily asked, cutting the ghost off. Emilyn’s head shook. “Well, mostly yes. But she was heralding the death of others far before that night. Have you foretold any deaths, Emily?”   
“No. I’ve only used my powers one time. They….They frighten me.” Emily admitted, her hazel eyes downcast. Emilyn hummed, somehow taking her nieces hands with her own spectral ones. “I understand. You don’t have to choose that path, Emily. Born within you, along with the potential for pain and destruction, is the power to grow and to nourish. Life and death are two sides of one coin, after all.” Emily’s gaze met Emilyn’s. “Must everyone around me speak in riddles? What do you mean?!”   
Emilyn gave a small laugh, an apologetic expression settling on her face afterwards. “My bad, dear. What I mean is, you have the powers of a banshee, but you also have the potential of druidic magic. Moira and I always had the potential as well- But, since I was highly empathetic, I heard the voices of nature and chose to listen. Moira experienced deep trauma and let it lead her down a dark path. She no longer has the potential of druidic magic.” Emily’s brow furrowed and she looked down at her hands. “I...I still have the potential to be...Be what? A druid?” Emilyn nodded. “Druids have the power of prophecy, along with many other things. You have had vague, prophetic dreams, have you not?” 

And suddenly- The visions of Moira before they had met, the three sisters overlooking the cliffs of Ireland, the sound of clocks ticking- haunting her sleep...They were prophetic in the most annoyingly vague way imaginable. “How do I chose one, Aunt Emilyn?” The redhead inquired, most eager not to be cursed as it seemed her Aunt Moira was. “Has the daughter of time told you anything of her people?”  
“Her people?”  
Emilyn giggled quietly. “The other Gods and Goddesses known to the Greeks, dear.” Emily thought back- Lena had told her some, but not much. But she had always been interested in the Greek Gods, having a girlfriend that practically was one was a bonus. “A little, why?” She finally answered. The blonde took her hand again, magic transferring from her ghostly form. What was left on Emily’s palm was the imprecise silhouette of a woman with her arms interlocked over her head, surrounded by two crescent moons. “Gaia, the mother of earth...Well, mother to all. She will help, if you can pray to her. And, I suggest speaking to beings with elemental magic. Those who use powers associated with the ground, or with nature in general will be most helpful.” And with those suggestions, Emilyn pressed a small kiss to Emily’s head. “Our time is up, dear one. Remember, seek to listen to the voice of nature. Heed those voices, and they will come to your aid. Fare the well, Emily.” And just like that...Emily woke up. 

But the symbol of Gaia remained on her palm. 

There had been some confusion during Emilyn’s visit, but for once Emily had more answers than questions. She had a clear path, a path that led her right back to the wood. The first place she went (Not the cabin, like she usually did. Since both Angela and Lena were absent.) was Moira’s abode. True to her word, the elder had been attempting to undo some of the damage she had done before reuniting with her family. “Hello Aunt Moira! How’s Amélie?” Moira looked up from her current task, which seemed to be trying to coax any bit of blood from the still blue-skinned woman. “Not as well as I’d like.” The woman grumbled. “Believe it or not, but it’s a bit difficult to run blood tests on a vampire.” Emily believed it. “Her mind is doing better, regaining more and more of her personality everyday, but her physical changes may require magic I do not possess.” Amélie yanked her arm back from Moira with a huff. “You made those changes in the first place...Now you can’t undo them. Makes a lot of sense.” Moira took a deep breath, calming herself. “Removing physical curses is not as easy as placing them. We may have to wait until Angela returns. Her specialty is healing magic, after all.”   
“What about Satya?” Emily asked, brows knit in concern for a woman she had never met. Moira sighed again, offering a blood pack to Amélie, who took it with a grumble. “As I said to Amari, I had no part in what happened to Satya. Though, if Sanjay’s hold on her is broken, I believe Angela and I could come up with some kind of antidote. Though…” An idea seemed to strike her, for she stopped what she was doing and put her finger to her lips in a focused expression. “I wonder if Oxton’s powers could be used to return someone to a certain point in their own timeline.” It was Emily’s turn to sigh at the mention of Lena- She really missed the bubbly brunette. “Even if she could, we’d still have to wait. You know, since she’s lost somewhere in time.” Moira had the decency to look a bit guilty. “Yes, well...Until both Angela and Oxton return, I suggest you hibernate, Amélie. I fear there’s nothing more I can do for you.” The vampire stood quickly, obviously deeply frustrated. “Fine. Wake me the moment they return. I mean it, Moira. I am not spending eternity like this!” With that, she lowered herself down into a coffin, which Moira shut after her. “Gods, I’ve really made a mess.” The banshee ran a hand through her hair, the gravity of everything she had done clearly weighing on her. “Yeah....Oh, Auntie ...What about that man? Si...Sigma?” Moira threw her arms up in frustration. “There’s another thing! Sigma’s mental state is so terrible I have to keep him under my control so his power doesn’t open up any black holes! I couldn’t free him even when I wanted to!” The woman fell into a chair, the weight of her sins dragging her down. “I suppose I was just born to cause pain…” Emily patted her shoulder, though she was a little inclined to agree. “Oh, I came to ask about a prophetic dream I had.”   
“Emily, you know I don’t…”  
“I know! Don’t worry- I was just going to say that Emilyn was in it. She spoke to me!” Moira’s head shot up at this news, her dual colored eyes wide. “She spoke with you?” Emily nodded the affirmative. “Yes, she told me that I could hone druidic powers instead of the banshee powers. The fact that I’ve been having annoyingly vague prophetic dreams proves it!”  
“Fascinating- I wonder if there have been other instances of this.” Moira hummed, pulling a few tomes from a nearby shelf. “Anyway, I was wondering if you knew who here used elemental magic?” Emily inquired, trying to keep her Aunt’s attention. Moira lowered her book, wearing a thoughtful expression. “Elemental magic...Fairies, I believe. Which element depends on the fairy, but they all use elemental magic. Elven magic is pretty close to druidic magic with a few differences. Dwarfs use fire magic. One of the mermaids, Zhao, she uses ice magic. Oh, and those demon brothers both use elemental magic.” 

Emily took note of everything and made a mental note to start with Brigitte, knowing the young woman was both elf and dwarf, so she could maybe hit two birds with one stone. “Thanks auntie! I’ll let you know how it goes!” Standing on her tippy-toes, she pressed a quick kiss to Moira’s cheek before taking off back into the wood. Moira chuckled fondly, watching her niece run off. 

“Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sorry there was no chapter last week, moving has basically taken my entire soul plus I've been job searching.
> 
> This is kind of a bridge chapter, we'll have some more character interactions in the coming chapters, mayhaps a montage of Emily figuring out her shit while I figure out mine!
> 
> But yeah- Huge credit goes to Rhitta for the idea of making Emily a druid and involving Gaia. Thank you for the awesome idea!
> 
> I hope to return to a pretty normal posting schedule, but I can't promise anything. Thank you all for sticking with me!
> 
> Btw here is gaia's symbol for those curious 
> 
> https://i.pinimg.com/236x/ab/fd/b7/abfdb765748e58affae1c154ee1fc9be.jpg


	22. Broken Crown

As luck would have, Brigitte was in the fairy clearing with Hana, the two raking up the fall leaves that had descended from the trees above. Hana was clearly not happy about having to do such a menial task. And, she appeared to be easily distracted, as she spotted Emily and immediately flew over, disposing of the rake she had been holding just a moment before. “Emily! Hey! Long time no see!” Emily was slightly taken aback, as the two hadn’t had much interaction prior, but it wasn’t an unwelcome response, especially since Hana’s mannerisms were a bit like Lena’s. “Hey, nice to see you both again!” Emily grinned at both the fairy and Brigitte when the elf made her way over. “Nice to see you again as well. How are you holding up with Lena...Missing?” Brigitte’s brow was knit with concern and she fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt nervously. “I’ve been doing okay. Trying to keep myself busy as not to get consumed by the thought of her all alone, lost somewhere in time.” Emily’s smile faded momentarily, but she was quick to shake it off. “Anyway, I came by because I had a really peculiar dream last night.” Hana’s eyes narrowed. “Peculiar how? And why did it lead you here?” The redhead took a seat on the grass, patting the spots beside her. Brigitte sat within a second, Hana following only after her girlfriend had settled. “Peculiar because my long dead aunt appeared to me and told me to seek out those who use elemental magic.” It was Brigitte’s turn to pose a question. “Elemental magic? I didn’t think banshee magic was elemental in nature.”  
“It isn’t. My aunt Emilyn explained that I have the potential to use druidic magic instead. I’ve already proven as much with the world’s most vague and annoying prophetic dreams.” Emily elaborated to the two younger woman, who exchanged understanding looks. “Well! You came to the right place!” Hana perked up, her wings fluttering excitedly. “It just so happens that us fairies all use elemental magic!” With a flourish, the girl’s fingers began to spark with a pink, electric energy. “Lightning is more of a white light than this, obviously. But pink is much cuter, right?” Emily took a quick picture, as even though she was eager to learn, she was still an artist first and foremost. “So you can change the color of your lightning? How do you do that?” The elder inquired, exchanging her phone for a notebook. “Herm...It’s like, based on emotion?” Hana started, pursing her lips in consideration. “Fairy magic is all emotion based, honestly. While we’re born with a particular element, we can regulate power or color based on emotion. Right now I’m happy, so my lightning is my favorite color.” Emily wrote it all down, though she was pretty certain druid powers didn’t work the same way. 

“Though, elf magic is probably closer to druidic magic.” Brigitte started, standing and offering Emily a hand up. “My mom explained it to me once. She said that elf magic actually came from druids hundreds of years ago. When the vikings, mainly of Norway, landed in what is now called Ireland, those with magical heritage were taken under the tutelage of local druids. Elves already existed, but didn’t have definitive magic.” The half elf paused, letting Emily finish writing whatever it was that she was writing. “My mom would maybe be better at explaining. Her father was a student of a druid. Otherwise, I would say Angela. Only because Angela knows everything about everything.” Brigitte laughed, and Emily joined in. The witch was a bit of a know-it-all. “Well, Angela is in London right now, so if you don’t think your mom would mind…” Emily started hopefully. The younger redhead gave an enthusiastic nod. “I’m sure she’d be delighted! Plus, she has snacks and I’m hungry.” Hana giggled, latching onto Brigitte’s muscular arm. “You’re so cute, babe! Let’s go then!” 

And so, the three left the fairy clearing, heading back into the woods proper. They didn’t have to walk far before reaching a home built into a huge tree. There was a shack built nearby, where clanging could be heard from outside. “Papa’s workshop.” Brigitte explained before opening the door to her home, letting Emily and Hana inside. “Mamma?Jjag är hemma!” Brig called out in a clearly Nordic language, which Emily assumed to be Swedish given that there was a Swedish flag hanging in the hall. A few moments later, a woman emerged from deep within the house. “Ah, Brigitte, welcome home.” The woman smiled, taking her daughter into her arms. From what Emily could see, Brigitte looked a fair bit like her mother, but was more muscular and slightly shorter. And had auburn hair where her mother’s blonde locks fell in a neat braid down her back. “And Hana, always lovely to see you, dear.” Hana grinned, bowing her head slightly. “Thank you for having me again!” Brigitte’s mother turned her attention to Emily, who gave a small smile. “Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Ingrid.” She offered the younger a hand, which Emily took. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. My name is Emily.”   
“Mamma, she has some questions about druids.” Brigitte filled her mother in. “I told her what I could, but I thought you could fill in the blanks since farfar was a student of druids.” Ingrid hummed, gesturing for the three girls to follow her into the dining room. “Indeed he was. He told me much about his studies before his passing. May I ask why you’re so interested?” She inquired of Emily, taking a seat across from her. “Sure...My aunt was a druid long, long ago. She’s dead, so I can’t ask her about it. But she did appear to me in a dream, instructing me to seek information about our people.” Ingrid nodded slowly. “Brigitte, dear, could you put on some tea? And Hana, you know where I keep my books?” Hana nodded, clearly eager to help. “There’s a very old leather bound book, please bring it to me.” Both young woman set off on their task as Ingrid settled into her seat. “It’s always nice to delegate.” She chuckled softly. Emily took the opportunity to show Ingrid her palm, the symbol of Gaia still etched on her skin. “Do you recognize this symbol, Ingrid?” The woman studied Emily’s palm a moment before shaking her head. “No, sorry, dear. I’m far more familiar with the Norse pantheon. That is Greek, is it not?” Emily nodded, settling back in her chair. “It is. Well, thank you anyway. It was worth a shot.” Hana returned with a huge leather bound journal, handing it to Ingrid with a small noise of exasperation. It must have been pretty heavy. “Thank you, Hana.” Ingrid smiled before opening up the journal. It was in great condition, considering how old it must have been. “I would offer this to you, but I have a sneaking suspicion you wouldn’t be able to read it. All in Swedish.” The blonde explained. Emily nodded- Moira was slowly teaching her Irish, but she was an English speaker through and through. “That’s all fine. I don’t mind summarizing the important parts for you.”   
“I really appreciate you taking the time to do this, Ingrid.” Emily’s expression shifted to one of gratitude. Ingrid waved her off. “It’s a pleasure. The Gods know none of my children are interested in their grandfather’s stories.” As if on cue, Brigitte emerged from the kitchen with a tray. She smiled sheepishly before setting it down on the table between Emily and Ingrid. The tray not only had some delectable smelling tea, but also various baked goods. All clearly from scratch. Emily wasn’t hungry before, but she certainly was while taking in the sight of buttery, flaking pastry and homemade jam. “Help yourselves, dears.” Ingrid directed the statement at Hana and Emily, who were both all too eager to dig in. “So,” The elder woman took a long sip of tea before diving into the explanation of druids. 

\------------------------------

Above all, druids revere nature. They draw their powers from either nature itself or a nature deity. (Emily’s eyes wandered back to Gaia’s symbol before settling back on Ingrid) The spells of druids are orientated to plants and animals, the power of tooth and claw, of fire and storm, of sun and moon. For druids, nature exists in a precarious balance. The four elements that make up a world—air, earth, fire, and water—must remain in equilibrium. If one element were to gain power over the others, the world could be destroyed, drawn into one of the elemental planes and broken apart into its component elements. Thus, druids oppose cults of Elemental Evil and others who promote one element to the exclusion of others.  
Druids are also concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant and animal life, and the need for civilized folk to live in harmony with nature, not in opposition to it. Druids have been known to be able to take animal forms, some even going as far as to live in their animal self instead of a humanoid form. 

All in all, whether it is calling on the elemental forces of nature or emulating the creatures of the animal world, druids are an embodiment of nature’s resilience, cunning, and fury. They claim no mastery over nature. Instead, they see themselves as extensions of nature’s indomitable will.

\------------------------------

Ingrid was very good at paraphrasing, as it seemed the tome was huge and would contain no shortage of information. “Most of it are my father’s stories. He often wrote about how frustrating it was that he could not take an animal form as his teacher could. Druids taught the elves how to live with nature, and how to ask nature to assist them. But elven magic is not as developed as druidic magic. As you can see, druids have a vast arsenal of abilities. “ Emily finished writing down her notes before staring at the page in awe. “How...How am I supposed to even learn how to do this magic? I only used my banshee powers in a moment of high emotional stress. “ Hana spoke up then. “As someone whose powers are based in emotion, I can pretty much tell druid magic is not like fairy magic in that regard. It seems more based on belief and skill? Ingrid mentioned nature deities, yeah? Maybe you have to, I dunno, pray or something.” That did make sense with what Ingrid had read. “Thank you, Hana, I’ll try that. “ Hana smiled and nodded. “As for the elemental bits, me and my friends can help you tune to certain elements. Me with energy, Yuna is fire, Kyung-soo is wind, Jae-Eun is water, and Dae-Hyun is earth. He may be the one to help you the most with plants and trees and stuff, though Brig can do that stuff too.” Emily turned her attention to Brigitte, who gave another sheepish smile. “It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it? I can use fire magic but also have the ability to commune with plants and ask them to help me.”   
“That is a bit ironic, but still really cool!” Emily reassured the younger, who gave a grateful smile in return. “Hana, Brigitte, if you wouldn’t mind, I would be honored if you and your friends would help me hone my abilities.” The two agreed and Emily went home with her path finally clear. 

Unfortunately, Emily still had to her job, so between that and training, she was always exhausted. But she continued to press herself, she wouldn’t remain helpless. She wouldn’t be idle with despair. When not doing work or training, Emily spent long hours in the woods, attempting to commune with Gaia, but she was unable to commune with the Goddess. Endlessly frustrating, honestly. The frustration wasn’t really helping Emily’s current schedule of work, training, and useless prayer. The human body is only able to take so much, and one day during a session with Hana, Emily collapsed. “Shit!” Hana gasped, fluttering over to the redhead. “This isn’t great…” She motioned Brigitte over, who hoisted the redhead onto her back. “Where should we take her? Angela still isn’t back.”   
Hana pursed her lips in thought- Who else was there? Who could help Emily in this situation? Should they just take her to a human hospital? It was then a familiar white wolf caught her eye. “Ashe! Hey, c’mere!” And with a small huff, Ashe made her way over, shifting as she entered the clearing. “...What’s with red?” Elizabeth asked, gesturing to Emily. “She passed out...Is Ana around?” Hana asked hopefully, figuring Ana was the only other person they could take Emily to. “Mn, probably. C’mon.” Ashe waved Brigitte and Hana to follow her to the den. 

Sure enough, Ana was able to assess what was ailing Emily. “She’s fatigued. She’s taken on too much, and her emotional state can’t be faring well with Lena still missing.” It was a simple enough answer, made so much sense Brigitte was ashamed she didn’t see it before. “Poor thing…” She frowned, eyes watching Emily’s sleeping form. “Hopefully she’ll have good dreams…” 

 

Whether one could call Emily’s dream good or not, was up to interpretation. Her head was resting on someone’s lap, a gentle hand running through her red locks. “You’ve worked so hard, my child. I’m sorry to have made you come all this way.” Emily reluctantly sat up to face who was talking to her. Before her sat a woman with long, brown hair with flowers and vines weaved into the chestnut curls. The woman’s bright blue eyes were warm, and she sported a kind smile. Her dress was clearly ancient Greek in origin, and around her neck was an all too familiar symbol. “...Gaia?” Gaia nodded in response, taking Emily’s hands. “We haven’t much time to talk, Emily. I’m afraid you’ll have to keep your questions concise.” The redhead wasn’t too sure she had many questions, she had spent the better part of a year studying Gaia and practicing magic. She was still a fledgling druid, but could not fight the feeling something big was coming. “..Do you know Chronos?” Was the first question she could bring herself to ask- She just missed Lena so much. “Chronos?” Gaia tilted her head. “Well, yes, of course. Do you wish to speak with him?” Emily nodded, feeling slightly guilty she didn’t actually want to speak to Gaia- But Gaia didn’t seem to take issue. Soon enough, a very familiar ticking of clocks started to chime. But instead of Lena’s bright grin and bell-like laughter, there was a tall man with wild brown hair and deep blue eyes. “You are Helena’s lover, correct?” Chronos asked, kneeling before Emily, who nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat. “I am happy she has found so many people to surround herself with, but right now, she is lost. Facing a force that she should be able to control.” This annoyed Emily, and she stood, glaring down at Chronos. “She’s half human! You should have foreseen this possibility, Oh God of time!” She snapped at the man, who smiled sadly in response. “You’re right, child. I should have seen this as a possibility, I apologize.”   
“It’s not really me you have to apologize to.” Emily grumbled, crossing her arms. Chronos nodded, taking one of Emily’s hands. “I may have made an egregious oversight, but I can use my power to accelerate yours. As a druid, you have prophetic dreams, yes?” The redhead nodded slowly. “Then, allow me to help you gaze upon the future.” Gaia took Emily’s other hand, a frown on her previously gentle face. “It’s time you gain what is yours. You will need it.”

 

With a small squeeze, Chronos and Gaia’s essence flowed through Emily, awakening her latent abilities. Within her dream, Emily found herself switching from the blank white space she had been in with the two Gods, to the wood. The seasons were changing, as they had been when she fell asleep. Spring was giving way to summer, and in deep within that vibrant foliage, stood a lone figure. A figure of pretty tall stature, muscular build, long auburn hair, and a kind smile. Brigitte. But why was she alone? Why did Emily feel such a pit in her gut when looking at such a tranquil scene. Brigitte seemed to hear a noise, and slowly turned to face it- Her eyes widening in horror to whatever it was. But Emily was snapped from her vision before she could see what had frightened the young woman so. “Brigitte!” Emily gasped, suddenly back with the gods. “You must go, Emily. She’s in danger.” 

Finally waking, Emily leaped out of bed, running past Ana and Fareeha, past Jesse and Ashe, who tried to call out to her. She ran and ran until she felt power flowing through her veins, magic surging through her. And when the wolf pack finally made it out of the den, all they saw was a red fox, bounding off into the wood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big oof-  
> So sorry about not posting for so long. I got hit with depression real bad- I'm still feeling it, but I wanted to put something out. So like, here's this chapter.
> 
> To clarify, Emily trained for about a year- So by the end of the chapter it's been almost a year since Lena went missing and Angela went to London. 
> 
> During that time she learned how to use most of her druidic magic, Gaia and Chronos just helped her with prophetic dreams and animal forms respectively. 
> 
> Also I'm basing druid magic on the druid class from dungeons and dragons 
> 
>  
> 
> SO! What's got Brig so spooked? Will Emily get to her in time? We shall see :) 
> 
> Swedish translations-  
> Mamma?Jjag är hemma - Mom? I'm home  
> Farfar- a form of grandfather

**Author's Note:**

> The worst person at updating fics back at it again with another ambitious fic idea! 
> 
> The only person with mysterious origins here is Lena so I'm gonna go ahead and list everyone else's supernatural counterpart 
> 
> Angela Ziegler- Witch (we all saw this coming)  
> Olivia Colomar- Witch  
> Amélie Lacroix- Vampire  
> Satya Vaswani- Vampire  
> Genji Shimada- demon  
> Hanzo Shimada- demon  
> Orisa- centaur  
> Mei Ling Zhao - Mermaid  
> Haha song - fairy (the rest of the meka squad are fairies as well)  
> Aleksandra Zaryanova- mermaid  
> Torbjorn Lindholm- dwarve  
> Brigitte Lindholm- elf (She's half but took more after her mother than her father)  
> Moira O'Deorain- Banshee  
> Gabriel Reyes- Demon  
> Jack Morison- undead  
> Lucio- siren  
> Reinhardt- Giant (but half. Like Hagrid)  
> Ana-werewolf  
> Fareeha-werewolf  
> Jesse-werewolf  
> Ashe-werewolf 
> 
>  
> 
> Assume, except for the vampires and witches- which the fix clearly states there's only two of each left- and Moira's case, that all groups have more numbers than the names listed 
> 
> And like i said before, Lena is also a special case c:


End file.
